1 Killed as Massive Crane Collapses at LAX

A 260-foot crane suddenly collapsed while lifting a large section of steel framework into place during the remodeling of a Los Angeles International Airport terminal Tuesday morning, crushing a car and fatally injuring its driver.

The 10:55 a.m. accident on the north side of the airport--already busy because of Easter Week--tied traffic into a knot for several miles around. Airport officials said the upper-level roadway that normally carries flight-departure traffic is not expected to reopen until about noon today.

Two steel workers also were injured when the crane collapsed, but were released following hospital treatment.

The boom of the 450,000-pound crane crumpled across the top of Terminal 2, which houses Pan American World Airways and several other international carriers, then spanned the upper roadway, with 60 feet of its tip crashing to the ground-level street below.

‘Jaws of Life’ Freed Driver

The only car struck was that of Kee Teck Goh, 34, of Beverly Hills, who was traveling on the lower road. The smashed Volvo swerved across several lanes and came to rest in a planted area on the far side after shearing off a parking lot turnstile.

Los Angeles city firefighters had to use a hydraulic “jaws of life” device to extricate the driver. He died of massive head and chest injuries at about 6:30 p.m. at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, but his death was not reported until late evening, after his relatives were notified.

No other cars were hit, said airport spokeswoman Pat Schoneberger. Most vehicles on the lower road had been stopped for a red light.

There was no immediate explanation of why the boom collapsed. Officials of Owl Crane & Rigging Co., lifting the massive steel truss under contract to Riverside Steel Co., refused to discuss the accident, identify the crane operator or estimate the weight of the steel truss he was lifting.

One witness said the wheels on one side of the crane’s cab, which was stationed just north of the terminal, apparently rose off the ground and that the counterweights fell off, possibly allowing the boom to drop below the proper balance angle.

Wreckage of the crane blocked the upper road. The lower road was closed temporarily as paramedics struggled to reach the injured motorist. Traffic was backed up on Century Boulevard east to the San Diego Freeway. It was brought to a halt on the freeway itself, as well as on Sepulveda and Lincoln boulevards.

Buses, Vans Used

Buses and vans were brought in to move desperate airline customers around the terminal.

Crews immediately went to work to remove the twisted crane boom by evening. But John Hicks, airport superintendent of operations, said Tuesday night the upper roadway would remain closed until workers could strengthen and adjust underpinnings.

One lane of the lower road also will remain closed until then in front of Terminal 2, he added.

Hicks said heavy congestion is anticipated today because of the large number of flights arriving and departing as Easter approaches.

Taken to Centinela Hospital were Juan Gonzalez, 45, of Buena Park, and Samuel Hayes, 52, of Los Angeles. Both were identified as employees of Riverside Steel.

Gonzalez, who told hospital attendants he fell 15 feet from the upper road when the boom collapsed, complained of back and head pains. Hayes said he jumped about the same distance to avoid being crushed. He was described as emotionally upset.

Damage to the terminal was said to be relatively minor, although some debris fell to the ground. The collapsed boom formed a bridge across the upper road, but crushed an outside section of railing and a planter box.

Schoneberger said Terminal 2 was not remodeled during the major construction program of 1983 and 1984, but was undergoing a face lift following completion of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Times staff writer Nieson Himmel contributed to this article.