South Florida

Two FPL contractors fall 100 feet from collapsing crane at South Florida wildlife park

Two men were airlifted to the hospital after the crane they were on collapsed at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023.
Two men were airlifted to the hospital after the crane they were on collapsed at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue

Two Florida Power & Light contractors doing maintenance work on a transmission line were injured Tuesday morning after a crane collapsed at a wildlife park near the county line in western Broward County, authorities said.

Around 9:43 a.m., Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units rushed to Holey Land Wildlife Management Area, a 35,000-acre wildlife park in southwestern Palm Beach County, after two men fell about 100 feet from a collapsing crane, Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane told the Miami Herald in a text message.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue helicopters took the men, who sustained leg injuries, to Broward Health North, Kane said.

Two men were airlifted to the hospital after the crane they were on collapsed at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023.
Two men were airlifted to the hospital after the crane they were on collapsed at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue

“It was a very chaotic scene,” Kane said.

Photos provided by fire rescue show a crane on its side with its back wheels up.

“None of our customers were impacted because of this incident,” FPL said in a statement. “At this time, the incident is under investigation, and we are unable to provide any additional information.”

Two men were airlifted to the hospital after the crane they were on collapsed at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023.
Two men were airlifted to the hospital after the crane they were on collapsed at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue

The wildlife park, located six miles west of US Highway 27, is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

This article will be updated as more information is available.

This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 12:15 PM.

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
Miami Herald
Omar is a bilingual and bicultural journalist, covering breaking news in South Florida for the Miami Herald. He has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in education from the Universidad de Puerto Rico en Río Piedras.
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