6 workers hospitalized after accident near I-395 bridge. Work has been paused

Six construction workers were injured late Friday night after a concrete cap beam broke at a construction site near the I-395 project, according to officials.

At around 10:20 p.m., crews responded to reports of a construction accident with trapped people at 1490 NW Third Avenue, Lt. Pete Sanchez, Miami Fire Rescue spokesperson said. Firefighters discovered that a cap beam atop a pillar had broken off and toppled, throwing six workers roughly 30 feet and trapping one inside the concrete form work platform, Sanchez said. Concrete forms are temporary or permanent molds used to create structures.

The accident prompted the complete shutdown of eastbound State Road 836, which has since reopened.

The Florida Department of Transportation said Saturday morning it is working with the contractor to understand the details of this incident and the “[d]epartment has mandated a project stand-down until internal reviews are conducted.”

While the accident happened near the I-395 Signature Bridge, FDOT said the incident did not involve the “bridge structure or any portion of the roadway open to traffic. All work was being conducted within a controlled and closed environment away from live traffic,” spokesperson Maria Rosa Higgins Fallon said in an email to the Miami Herald.

The accident “involved construction formwork during a concrete pour within the work zone,” Higgins Fallon added.

Upon arrival, fire rescue immediately upgraded the incident to a Mass Casualty Incident Level 1, bringing in additional emergency resources. Firefighters conducted triage and took five people, while Miami’s Technical Rescue Team used a crane and cutting tools to extricate the trapped worker.

All six workers were taken to Ryder Trauma Center — five in critical condition and one in serious condition.

This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 12:18 PM.