4 injured after crane collapses in Miami - USA Today

An 85-foot crane collapsed near downtown Miami on Monday, Sept. 14, sending at least four people to the hospital, first responders said.

The City of Miami Fire Rescue confirmed to USA TODAY that the drilling rig fell onto three vehicles at an intersection one block from the city's Atlantic coast.

When the crane crashed, the agency said, it set a vehicle on fire and crushed a construction container with two workers trapped inside. Emergency crews freed the two trapped victims and extinguished the blaze.

A woman was also driving southbound when she "noticed the collapsing rig and attempted to reverse," the department said in a news release. "The rig struck her vehicle, causing it to catch fire, and she was able to self-evacuate. The rig operator also jumped from the rig as it began to collapse, landing on the ground below."

Two other vehicles parked nearby were also damaged, officials said, but they were both were unoccupied.

All four people who were injured, the two male construction workers, the male rig operator and the female driver, were transported to the hospital in stable condition.

Video from the scene circulating online shows a four-door SUV engulfed in flames next to what appears to be a dark colored vehicle crushed by part of the crane.

Officials did not immediately confirm the cause of the collapse.

Firefighters contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which responded to the scene to investigate.

Bystanders were asked to avoid the area as multiple streets have been shut down around the scene.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.