LOCAL : Construction Worker Injured in Palmdale Water Tank Fall

A construction worker was seriously injured this morning when he fell 30 feet into an empty water tank being built in Palmdale, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.

Firefighters used a crane that was already at the construction site in the 36000 block of Sierra Highway to hoist Roland Garcia on a stretcher out of the tank, Fire Capt. Ron Conway said. Garcia was flown by helicopter to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia where he was in stable condition, officials said.

Conway said Garcia was working on a scaffold at the top of the tank--which will store water for the Acton area when completed--when he fell at about 9 a.m. Garcia landed on his left side and was knocked unconscious. Conway said he had multiple injuries, including a broken leg.

Rescuers were lowered into the tank and placed Garcia on a backboard and a stretcher. Conway said the construction crane was then moved into position and the stretcher was lifted out.