Man fell from scaffold when oil derrick partially collapsed in Adrian, Mich.

11/23/2012
BLADE STAFF
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  • An oil rig is partially collapsed in half at Heritage Park in Adrian, Mich. The American flag was on top of the rig but is now flying upside down.
    An oil rig is partially collapsed in half at Heritage Park in Adrian, Mich. The American flag was on top of the rig but is now flying upside down.

    ADRIAN -- A 38-year-old man was injured today when an oil-drilling derrick in the Adrian's Heritage Park partially collapsed, authorities said.

    The victim, whose name had not been released by nightfall, was air-lifted to University of Toledo Medical Center -- the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital -- said Raisin Township Fire Chief Richard Renard. The accident was reported at 10:58 a.m., Friday.

    According to Chief Renard said the man fell about 15 to 20 feet from a scaffold when the derrick partially collapsed about 10:58 a.m. this morning. The structure was about 75 feet tall.

    "The victim was wearing a safety harness, which kept him from hitting the ground," Chief Renard said. "His co-workers brought him down to level ground before we arrived."

    Gusty winds buffeted southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio today, but Chief Renard declined to speculate on whether wind played a role in the drilling rig's collapse. Investigators from Michigan's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will visit the site next week, the chief said.