Rig at Citadel’s Miami Construction Site Falls; Injures Four
A rig collapsed in Miami’s financial district at the construction site of Citadel’s new headquarters, crushing several cars and snarling traffic.
Videos and pictures provided by Miami Fire Rescue showed three cars impacted by the metal structure with a white BMW SUV still smoldering after a fire was put out on Brickell Bay Drive. At least four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to Pete Sanchez, a spokesman for the local firefighters.
The driver of the SUV was able to escape without serious injury despite the vehicle bursting into flames around 8 a.m. while the operator of the deep mixing rig and other construction workers were also taken for medical care, Sanchez said.
The accident happened at the site of the future Citadel headquarters where founder and chief executive officer Ken Griffin is planning a multi-billion dollar tower. He’s spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying the land and adjacent properties. Griffin also plans to relocate a historic cottage — which narrowly escaped the rig collapse — to make way for his growing empire.
A spokesperson for Citadel referred questions to Related Companies, which is the developer of the project.
Related is “working in full cooperation with City and County building departments to secure the site and conduct a full investigation of today’s incident,” the firm said in an e-mailed statement.
While the metal structure was first reported to be a crane, it was in fact being used to drill into the ground of the site, according to Sanchez.
Miami is undergoing a construction boom in Brickell with cranes dotting the skyline as an influx of financial firms and wealthy individuals drives demand for office space and condos. A few blocks from the Citadel site, Banco Santander SA is also erecting a new corporate tower.
Photo: The construction site of Citadel’s planned headquarters in the Brickell neighborhood of Miami. Photographer: Zak Bennett/Bloomberg
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