A man was in the hospital Friday after a 1,000-pound sign he was helping to dismantle tipped over and and landed on him at a gas station in Calabasas.
The incident happened just before 11 a.m. at the Mobil gas station located in the 4800 block of Las Virgenes Road (map), according to Inspector Keith Mora with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Two workers were trying to dismantle the sign, which was already on the ground, when it fell over and trapped one of them.
“His whole body was underneath, and he was unable to move,” Capt. Malcolm Dicks of the LACFD said.
People at the gas station and a passerby all tried to lift the sign off the worker, but were unable to free the man, according to Dicks.
Mora said the sign weighed about 1,000 pounds.
L.A. County firefighters were across the street on a minor medical call and were able to respond to the trapped worker quickly.
The firefighters used air bags and hydraulic jacks to lift the sign off the worker, Dicks said.
The man suffered a broken femur and wrist, according to Lt. John Lecrivain of the Lost Hills station.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect weight for the sign, attributing the information to fire officials. The story has been updated.
