Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 16 to 20 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Inc., Lamar Outdoor Billboard, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32301
on — Fractures, affecting the ankle(s).
Final narrative
An employee was tightening the bolts on a billboard when the weld of the catwalk arm broke, swung down with him on it, and hit his ankle on the billboard column, fracturing his right ankle. He fell 20 feet from the catwalk and was hanging by his fall protection lanyard about 9 feet above the ground when he was rescued by his foreman. He was hospitalized.
HospitalizedAnkle(s)Catwalks
More severe injuries at Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Inc.
An employee was on top of a 2-by-4 purlin installing rafters. The purlin broke and he fell to the ground about 16 feet below, suffering a broken left femur.
An employee was working in a boom lift to help tear down a building. The employee stepped out of the boom lift and onto one of the trusses when the building collapsed, causing the employee to fall approximately 17 feet to the ground below. The employee sustained fractures to the wrist, hand, ribs, and face.
An employee was climbing a power line pole when the pole broke at ground level while the employee was approximately 20 feet up. The employee rode the pole to the ground and sustained 12 broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a punctured lung.
An employee was on a pallet that was being lifted by a forklift to a height of 20 feet. The pallet broke and the employee fell to the warehouse floor sustaining fractures to their nose, ribs, and ankle.
An employee was performing tuckpointing while on a swing-stage scaffold. The rope on the scaffold broke and the side of the scaffold fell 20 feet to the ground. The employee impacted the ground and sustained a broken ankle that required hospitalization and surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 541850)
On September 16, 2025, an employee was installing a billboard advertising display when they fell 8 feet and 6 inches to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a puncture wound.
An employee was installing a piece of advertising copy on a billboard. He fell approximately 18-25 feet from the structure to the ground, suffering broken ribs and facial trauma.
An employee was installing a sign. They left the bucket to reach bolts, removed their harness, and reached for a piece of iron. The employee climbed to the back of the sign on the affixed metal lattice. The bolt came loose and the iron gave way, causing the employee to fall approximately 13 feet to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to their hips, arm, and shoulders. They also sustained torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was climbing a hook ladder. A piece of advertising material fell onto the employee, causing them to slip and fall from the fourth or fifth rung. The employee landed on their left arm, breaking the arm and also suffering a broken rib.
An employee set up and secured an extension ladder on a pole so he could tighten up a low-hanging triplex cable. While on the pole, the employee started to pull the triplex cable to raise it up. The tension caused the pole to snap. The employee jumped off the ladder to avoid getting hit by the pole. The employee impacted the ground and sustained bilateral talus fractures.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.