Firefighters rescue critically injured worker from silo structure collapse

Firefighters rescued a man who suffered life-threatening injuries following a structure collapse at the top of a silo Friday in Petaluma, officials said.

Emergency crews were summoned around noon to the area of the D Street Bridge, where witnesses described seeing the collapse of a large metal tower atop a silo.

Petaluma police used a patrol car to force open a locked gate and gain access to 100 East D St.

More emergency personnel were called to the scenes, including all Petaluma fire units, and units the Rancho Adobe and Sonoma Valley fire departments, rescue helicopter Henry 1 and a California Highway Patrol transport helicopter.

A 35-foot ladder was used to reach the top of the silo, where crews found a 30-year-old man trapped under a large conveyer structure and a co-worker trying to free him.

Crews lifted the structure enough to free the man, who was treated by paramedics and flown by air ambulance to Memorial Hospital with serious life-threatening injuries.

Officials say 35 minutes elapsed between the dispatch call to loading the victim on the air transport, and the man arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later.

Fire units remained at the scene to assist the investigation by Petaluma police and California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA.