Crime & Safety
Crane Topples Over, Injures 2 During Billboard Removal
The extent of the two workers' injuries is unknown, but officials said they fell about 20 feet when the crane collapsed.
SAN PEDRO, CA — Two people working to dismantle a long-disputed billboard at the main entryway into San Pedro were injured Tuesday when a crane toppled over.
The accident was reported around 11:30 a.m. near Gaffey Street and the Harbor (110) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
A search-and-rescue team was initially dispatched to the scene, with first responders concerned people may have been trapped in the crane. Crews on the scene quickly determined nobody was trapped, but two workers at the scene had fallen about 20 feet when the crane collapsed, according to the fire department.
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The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote on her Twitter page that the workers were dismantling the disputed billboard.
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"Praying that both workers who were injured will be OK," Hahn wrote.
Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents the San Pedro area, announced Monday that crews had begun taking down the billboard and support structure, which had been under dispute for several months and the subject of a removal effort dating back several years.
In 2015, the city authorized the acquisition of the property in an effort to improve visibility, safety and public access to the San Pedro community by removing the billboard structure.
But Outdoor Regency Advertising leased the space on the property for a large billboard until 2022. At the end of 2022, when the lease expired, the billboard continued to be used for advertising purposes.
The company had continuously rejected the city's demands to remove the billboard and billboard structures, according to McOsker's office.
City officials sent a letter on Dec. 28, 2022, requesting plans by Jan. 15 for removal of the billboard, which the company did not respond to, according to McOsker.
In February, the city served Regency Outdoor Advertising with an unlawful detainer lawsuit for failing to take down the billboard and vacate the property. Despite the city's efforts, the company continued to advertise on this billboard, even placing an add the week they were sued, and two months after the lease contract expired, according to McOsker's office.
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