A construction worker was killed early Thursday when he was crushed under a beam that fell from a truck along a Los Angeles area highway.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene along the 405 Freeway. The worker was with a team of construction crew on the southbound freeway ramp at Santa Monica Boulevard when the 3,000-pound steel beam fell.
"There were several employees on-scene who tried to lift the beam, who tried to do something," said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Joe Zizi. "As you can imagine, they are very distraught."
A crane was being used to unload the steel beams when one fell from the truck, according to authorities.
Cal-OSHA officials were called to the location.
The victim's identity was not immediately available. The man was employed by a contractor working on a part of the 405 Freeway widening project between the 10 and 101 freeways. The project, which required the so-called "Carmageddon" closures, is scheduled for completion next year.
