OSCAR SCAFFOLDING FALLS; 5 HURT.Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer One man was seriously injured and four others were hurt when a large portion of scaffolding collapsed Thursday afternoon during preparations for Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. , authorities said. The scaffolding, designed to be a sun screen for media covering the red carpet entry into the Shrine, came crashing down about 130 feet away from the auditorium's doors. ``If it would have collapsed on the Academy Awards and if there were any workers behind the bleacher bleach·er n. 1. One that bleaches or is used in bleaching. 2. An often unroofed outdoor grandstand for seating spectators. Often used in the plural. section, we would have had a catastrophic and fatal incident,'' said Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. Capt. Richard Andrade. ``It looks like an erector set Erector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that was wildly popular in the United States during much of the 20th century. Like Meccano, it consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, .'' Officials were investigating the possibility that wind could have played a role in the crash. ``When it collapsed, it had a domino effect and fortunately fell back and away from the bleachers,'' Andrade said. Two workers on top of the 40-foot-high scaffolding, which is 190 feet long and 3 feet wide, suffered the most serious injuries when about 90 percent of the structure collapsed, officials said. A 50-year-old man was in critical condition at Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County/USC Medical Center with head injuries and possible internal injuries, officials said. A 24-year-old Los Angeles man was listed in fair condition with minor injuries. Three other workers, one on the bleachers and two apparently on the ground near the scaffolding, suffered minor injuries as they scrambled to get out of harm's way beyond the danger limit; in a safe place. - Latimer. See also: Out , authorities said. The workers' identities were not immediately available. Hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De Le Cerda said the 24-year-old man said he held on to the scaffolding with a ``death grip'' because he knew if he slipped, he would be severely injured. John Pavlik, the director of communications Director of Communications is a position in the private and public sectors. The Director of Communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization's internal and external communications. for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said the academy is extremely sorry that anyone was hurt. He said the incident shouldn't have a significant impact on Sunday's show because most of the work has been completed, but he said it does affect the atmosphere. ``This is supposed to be a happy event and we don't like sad things to happen,'' he said. ``It puts a damper on your enthusiasm.'' He said no decision had yet been made as to whether the scaffolding would be rebuilt. Officials from the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. agency established (1970) in the Dept. of Labor (see Labor, United States Department of) to develop and enforce regulations for the safety and health of workers in businesses that are engaged in interstate are investigating the collapse. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Security guards and Los Angeles firefighters stand by the collapsed scaffolding Thursday outside the Shrine Auditorium. Nick Ut/Associated Press |
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