Man Hospitalized After 30-Foot Fall Inside Silo

A city rescue unit lifted a 21-year-old man to safety Wednesday after he fell 20 to 30 feet inside a silo-type structure that he was cleaning near Los Angeles International Airport.

He was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center, where spokesman Alan Eyerly described the victim, whose name was withheld, as a “very lucky man.” He might make a complete recovery, authorities said.

The man was removed from the silo at the Westside Concrete Co. on a litter about 11:35 a.m, said fire spokesman Jim Wells. The city Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team had lowered two harnessed rescue workers into the structure to get the man onto the litter.

When the firefighters were lowered, they found the injured man, along with a co-worker, inside the silo, Fire Capt. Michael Jacalone said. The injured worker initially complained of abdominal pain and some paralysis of his lower extremities, Wells said.

The co-worker, who was uninjured, might also have been cleaning the silo when the accident occurred. Firefighters kept the co-worker in the silo during the rescue because he was helping keep the victim calm, Jacalone said.

After the worker was hoisted out, he was taken to the medical center by helicopter.

He was treated at the hospital for a broken wrist and soreness. After treatment, the man regained use of his legs and was upgraded to good condition, a medical center spokesman said.

The man had been cleaning the inside of a 50-foot silo structure when he fell off a rope ladder and onto a mixture of sand and gravel, fire officials said. The man was not buried when firefighters and paramedics arrived at 9:10 a.m., but that danger was a concern, Jacalone said.

“It was not soft enough to be buried inside, but he landed hard enough to be seriously injured,” Wells said.

Cal/OSHA investigators, who have jurisdiction over construction accidents, were at the scene Wednesday and are conducting an investigation.