Crane Operator in Malibu Injured When Rig Tips Over

A crane operator lifting pile-driving equipment for repairs to the Malibu Pier was injured Monday when his rig tipped over and trapped him in its crushed cab.

Jeff Patrick, 19, was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center by Los Angeles County firefighters, who worked 90 minutes to free him after the 9:10 a.m. accident in the 23000 block of Pacific Coast Highway.

Firefighters said Patrick was pinned inside the cab when it smashed against a concrete block wall and a steel post after the 50-foot crane toppled.

Rescuers said Patrick initially had no feeling in his lower body. But by midafternoon doctors had determined there was no paralysis and were treating him for a pelvic fracture. He was listed in fair condition, said Alan Eyerly, a medical center spokesman.

The rig’s falling boom slightly damaged the roof of a structure on the east side of the pier, authorities said. And a nearby worker suffered cuts and bruises when he fell while trying to run from the toppling equipment, said Fire Department Inspector Mark Whaling.

Cal/OSHA investigators, who have jurisdiction over construction accidents, were at the scene Monday afternoon. But firefighters said the accident apparently was caused by sloping ground beneath the crane and the 3,000-pound weight it was lifting.

Traffic on Pacific Coast Highway was halted so the Fire Department air ambulance could land.