Benicia Worker Severely Hurt In Accident With 3-Ton Steel Beam

BENICIA (CBS SF) - A man is recovering at a hospital after a three-ton steel I-beam fell onto his legs while he was working in Benicia Thursday morning, a fire official said.

Fire crews responded to a report that a beam had fallen on a worker at the Unico Mechanical Corp. at 1209 Polk St. at 9:20 a.m., interim Benicia fire Capt. Jeff Davidson said.

While en route to the scene, crews got word that the injured man had been freed with the help of a coworker, Davidson said.

He had been pinned underneath the beam for about a minute after it fell from its chain-and-hook grip while being lifted with a crane, Davidson said. The coworker used the crane to move the beam off of the victim.

Davidson said fire crews provided care to the man, who remained conscious and alert, and he was then transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

The man, believed to be 19 or 20, suffered severe injuries to both of his legs but is expected to survive.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health will survey the site of the accident to determine whether it will conduct an investigation, spokesman Peter Melton said.

An employee answering the phone at Unico Mechanical declined to comment.

Unico Mechanical is a heavy industrial machine shop that provides services including repairs, restorations and part manufacturing.

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