Massive drilling rib crashes down onto cars in Miami, injuring multiple and sending workers scrambling to escape

A massive drilling rig collapsed onto three vehicles and a construction box in Miami, injuring four people and trapping two workers inside the crushed structure. A fire also erupted after the 85-foot piling rig came down. This forced emergency crews to fight the flames while trying to reach the workers.

Per NBC, the collapse happened at a construction site in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood near Southeast 12th Street and Brickell Bay Drive. Two construction workers were inside a temporary construction box when the rig fell onto it. A woman driving a BMW narrowly escaped after seeing the machinery begin to topple.

The BMW driver managed to reverse away from the falling rig before getting out of the vehicle as it caught fire. The two trapped workers, the rig operator and the driver were all hospitalized with minor injuries. Footage from the report showed the aftermath and the driver’s narrow escape from the collapse.

The rig came down with workers still inside the construction box

The two workers inside the construction box were trapped beneath the collapsed equipment. Firefighters had to deal with the vehicle fire at the same time as technical rescue crews worked to reach the workers.

Miami Fire Chief Robert Hevia described the scene as “very complex,” with firefighters extinguishing the blaze while rescue personnel cut through the crushed construction box. The crews eventually reached both workers and pulled them from the wreckage.

The rig operator escaped the machinery as it tipped over. He jumped from the equipment before being taken to a trauma center with minor injuries, while the two trapped workers were also transported for treatment.

According to ABC, The falling rig also struck two parked vehicles that were unoccupied. The BMW was the moving vehicle caught beneath the collapsing structure, and the impact triggered the fire that crews had to extinguish.

The driver’s escape was particularly close. Hevia said she saw the crane falling, put her vehicle into reverse and got out while the car was on fire, describing the sequence as “really incredible.”

All of the other construction workers at the site were accounted for after the collapse. Emergency crews remained focused on the wreckage and a fuel spill while the damaged area was secured.

“When you look at the site, it’s incredible,” Hevia said, describing the difficult to comprehend destruction left behind by the collapsed rig. Amazingly, everyone involved only got minor injuries, despite the seemingly apocalyptic scene.