The collapse of a massive drilling rig that injured one man in downtown Salt Lake City late Tuesday is under investigation, according to the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
The 80- to 100-foot rig toppled over onto the southbound lanes of State Street near 200 South at about 9 p.m., crushing two unoccupied, parked cars.
The rig’s operator was taken to a hospital in serious condition after falling 15-20 feet during the collapse. He suffered back, shoulder and leg injuries, according to a spokeswoman for Jacobsen Construction
The drilling rig was working on the Astra Tower, which is slated to be Salt Lake City’s tallest skyscraper and is under construction on the northwest corner of State Street and 200 South. A groundbreaking ceremony took place Jan. 12.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Crews survey the damage of a collapsed drill rig as seen on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at the intersection of State Street and 200 South. The rig toppled over Tuesday night at the site of the new Astra Tower, crushing two unoccupied parked cars and sending the crane operator to the hospital in serious condition.
The 40-story tall tower is scheduled to be completed by October 2024. It will feature more than 370 apartments, including two floors of luxury penthouses, and will include a rooftop swimming pool, clubhouse, park, sky lounge and a terrace with panoramic views, developers have said.
According to Jacobsen Construction, the drilling rig operated by Morris-Shea Bridge Co. was “working on foundation drilling.”
It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon why the equipment collapsed. The southbound lanes of State Street were closed until the debris was cleared.
Salt Lake City fire officials originally described the collapsed equipment as a construction crane; Jacobsen Construction later clarified that it was a drilling rig.
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