Two men were hurt, including one critically, when an oil derrick suddenly collapsed at an industrial site near Pacific Coast Highway and Loynes Drive in East Long Beach Monday afternoon, officials said.
One of the two men was working in a cage that was attached to an oil derrick and suspended 50 feet in the air when the rig collapsed over a pump, sending him plummeting to the ground, according to Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Jack Heflin.
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Fire crews responded just after 2 p.m. to the industrial site in the 6200 block of PCH and found the man still inside the cage, authorities said.
Firefighters got the man out and he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, authorities said; his condition was later upgraded to stable.
Another worker at the site also suffered minor injuries, though fire officials did not provide further details about how he was hurt.
t’s not clear what caused the oil derrick to collapse, according to fire officials, who said there will be an investigation conducted to learn more about what happened.
Photos from the scene show a large metal structure that appears to have collapsed onto a pump.
This story was updated with more information from the Long Beach Fire Department.