A construction worker who was trapped after a crane collapsed in the upscale Brickell neighborhood of Miami embraced the firefighter who rescued him from the rubble, a heartfelt moment that was captured on video.
The accident occurred this Monday shortly after 8:00 am at the intersection of Southeast 12th Street and Brickell Bay Drive, where a pile driver collapsed onto a metal Conex box containing two employees, aged 29 and 27.
The machine also crushed three vehicles: two parked and one in motion. The accident resulted in a total of four injuries.
According to Miami Fire Rescue as reported by NBC Miami, firefighters used what are known as the jaws of life (hydraulic rescue cutters), tools employed to cut through the metal structure and extract the two trapped workers, while another team simultaneously extinguished a fire that broke out in one of the affected vehicles.
The rescue was captured on video and quickly spread on social media. In the footage, the worker is seen exiting the box and embracing one of the firefighters before being placed on a stretcher.
The 47-year-old drill operator managed to jump from the equipment as it overturned.
The fourth injured person was the driver of a white BMW who was driving through the area: upon seeing the machinery fall, she hit the brakes and put the vehicle in reverse, but the drilling machine landed on the hood of the SUV, causing a fire. The woman escaped from the back of the car.
The four injured individuals were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. All 18 workers present at the site were accounted for, and everyone was safe.
Robert Hevia, Fire Chief of Miami, described the operation as a "very complex" scene in which the technical rescue team and firefighters worked in parallel to cut through the metal box and control the fire.
"I have been with the fire department for 28 years; when you see the scene, it's impressive. The fact that all four injured individuals were able to be rescued or self-rescue with minor injuries was a remarkable day for them," he stated.
The incident took place at the site where the future global headquarters of Citadel, the hedge fund of billionaire Ken Griffin, is being built, located at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive. The project, a 54-story tower developed by Related Companies, was in the foundation phase.
Related Companies issued a statement thanking the emergency services for their response and confirmed their cooperation with the city and county building departments.
"Our top priority is the health and safety of our workers and the community. We are working in full cooperation with the city's and county's building departments to secure the site and conduct a thorough investigation of the incident," he said.
The Miami Police closed Brickell Bay Drive between SE 12th Street and SE 13th Street during the emergency operation and recommended drivers use Brickell Avenue as an alternate route.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was called in to investigate the causes of the collapse.
The accident adds to a series of crane and construction equipment collapses in Miami recorded in 2026, including the collapse of a crane onto the terrace of a condominium in August and another incident in a residential neighborhood in Hialeah in April, both of which resulted in no injuries.
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