One worker suffered non-life threatening injuries early Wednesday when three 130-foot, 60,000 pound steel beams fell at a construction site and blocked the 405 Freeway in the Long Beach area.
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Another worker was treated at a hospital and released. Freeway lanes reopened at about 8 a.m. after an overnight closure allowed crews to remove the heavy beams.
Initial reports indicated that one beam had fallen, but officials later told NBC4 that three beams fell on the southbound 405 Freeway. The northbound lanes also were closed to accommodate crane equipment to remove the fallen beams.
Two workers were on the false work when the beams fell. One worker fell approximately 18 feet on to the freeway and was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. That worker was conscious and able to communicate with paramedics.
The other worker managed to cling on to the false work and was not injured, Cal trans official David Richardson said. He jumped from the collapsing beam to another beam and hung on about 22 feet in the air until he was rescued, according to Cal trans.
Traffic backed up in the area on both sides of the freeway Wednesday morning.
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NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.
