Accident at Universal Kills Worker

One man was killed and another injured Friday night when a 30,000-pound crane they were operating on a sound stage at Universal Studios fell through a temporary plywood floor, authorities said.

The accident occurred while the men, who were riding in a bucket suspended from the crane, were dismantling a set for the feature film “Batteries Not Included,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. David Carolan said.

The crane, which was controlled from the bucket, was driven onto a plywood floor built over a pit in the stage, Carolan said Saturday. The floor collapsed and “the crane fell about 15 feet into the pit, catapulting both men out of the bucket,” he said.

One of the workers, who received head and chest injuries, died after surgery at St. Joseph Medical Center, Carolan said. Pending notification of his family, he was identified only as a 35-year-old Venice resident.

The other victim, Daniel Nowack, 31, of Canyon Country, was treated for minor injuries and released, Carolan said.

“Every sound stage has a pit like that,” Carolan said. “The floors are heavily built, but they aren’t meant to take the weight of a crane.”