Steel Beam Falls onto 405 Freeway from Construction Site in Seal Beach

All lanes of the San Diego (405) Freeway were closed down in Seal Beach for several hours this morning after a steel beam fell from a construction site in a mishap that left two workers hurt, one seriously, authorities said.

The accident was reported around 2:45 a.m., according to Caltrans, and a SigAlert for the northbound and southbound lanes was declared at 4:15 a.m. The northbound lanes were reopened shortly after 7 a.m., and the southbound lanes were reopened about an hour later, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The beam fell from the site of a new connector between the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and the 405.

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said a 54-year-old man who fell about 25 feet was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The worker had been on the beam when it fell, and he landed on the road, away from it, a Caltrans spokesman told ABC7.

The second worker, age 46, suffered "moderate" abdominal and chest injuries as a result of being struck several times in the upper torso by the beam, Concialdi said.

The beam was about 140 feet long and weighed 60,000 pounds, according to Caltrans. What caused it to fall was not immediately clear.

--City News Service