Five Injured in Skywalker Ranch Scaffolding Collapse

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Five men were injured Monday when scaffolding and large display screens collapsed during preparations for an event at Summit Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. One worker suffered a serious head injury, and three of the men were taken to hospitals after the event setup collapse.

Marin County Fire crews were sent to 3838 Lucas Valley Road at 11:23 a.m. following an initial report that three people were trapped beneath a stage. Firefighters arrived at the upper campus area and found that the falling scaffolding and screens had injured the workers.

One man was pinned beneath LCD screens. Firefighters placed inflatable airbags under the collapsed equipment and raised it enough to free him. He was treated at the scene and released, while three others were hospitalized. Two of those patients had minor injuries. The man with the head injury was transported with an emergency response reserved for serious cases.

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Skywalker Ranch Scaffolding Cleanup

Teams from Marin County Fire worked with the San Rafael and Novato fire departments during the rescue. The last fire units left the property at 1:31 p.m., about two hours after the initial dispatch.

Officials did not release the workers’ names or identify their employers. They also did not provide later medical updates for the three men who went to hospitals. The available accounts described all five as men who were involved in the event setup, but they did not specify each person’s assigned task.

Summit Skywalker Ranch is a private retreat and event facility near Nicasio. It was formerly called Big Rock Ranch and is separate from the principal Skywalker Ranch property. The facility hosts business retreats, meetings and group events.

Workplace Investigation Opened

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health began investigating why the temporary structure failed. The cause remained unknown Tuesday, and officials had not said whether the scaffolding itself, the display equipment or another part of the installation gave way first.

The agency had not announced findings or identified a safety violation. The property did not provide a public response before the first reports were published.

The emergency response established that the collapse occurred while the site was being readied for an event and that a worker became trapped under the display screens. Questions about who assembled the structure, who supervised the work and what caused it to fail remained part of the state investigation.

Fire officials completed the rescue without reporting additional injuries to responders or other people at the ranch. Cal/OSHA continued its review as the three hospitalized workers received treatment.