Five people were injured, including one man who suffered a serious head injury, after scaffolding and large display screens collapsed during preparations for an event at a property connected to filmmaker George Lucas’ sprawling Skywalker Ranch complex in Northern California.
The incident occurred Monday morning at Summit Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, with emergency crews responding shortly after 11:20 a.m. following reports that multiple people had become trapped beneath a stage.
According to NBC Bay Area, five men were ultimately found injured after scaffolding and display screens came crashing down in an upper campus area while the property was being prepared for an event.
Three of the five injured men were transported to local hospitals.
One suffered a serious head injury and was transported “code three,” which a battalion chief described as indicating a “very serious” condition.
Another worker became trapped underneath LCD display screens when the structure collapsed. Firefighters were forced to deploy airbags to raise the debris enough to free him. He was treated at the scene and released.
Two of the injured men were ultimately evaluated and released at the scene, while two of the three patients transported to medical facilities were reported to have suffered minor injuries.
Multiple Fire Departments Respond to Skywalker Ranch Collapse
The initial emergency dispatch reportedly indicated that three people were trapped beneath a stage.
Fire crews from the Marin County Fire Department, San Rafael Fire Department, and Novato Fire Department responded to the property.
Responders worked to evaluate the injured while simultaneously freeing the individual trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson on the red carpet at Cannes via AFP News Agency YouTube
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All fire department units had cleared the property by approximately 1:31 p.m., less than three hours after the initial call.
The exact cause of the collapse remains unknown.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, is now investigating what caused the scaffolding and display equipment to fall during the event setup.
There has been no indication thus far that the collapse involved any of the permanent structures on the property.
Incident Happened at Summit Skywalker Ranch
While some initial reports have broadly described the incident as occurring at George Lucas’ famous Skywalker Ranch, there is an important distinction.
The accident occurred at Summit Skywalker Ranch, a nearby Lucas property formerly known as Big Rock Ranch. It is separate from the principal Skywalker Ranch campus most closely associated with Lucasfilm. The facility is located along Lucas Valley Road in Marin County and has been used as a private retreat and venue for corporate meetings, events, and other gatherings.
That distinction is particularly relevant considering the history and enormous footprint of Lucas’ operations in the area.
George Lucas, Lucas Films award winning director/filmmaker receives an award from the Tuskegee Airman Inc. committee during the 2012 Tuskegee National Convention, Las Vegas, NV., Aug. 3, 2012. Lucas was recognized for his contributions and recent film, Red Tails, which was the first major movie created about the Tuskegee Airmen. TAI is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the accomplishments of the Army Air Corps African-American air, ground and operations crew members during World War II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Colville McFee)
The primary Skywalker Ranch is one of the most famous private filmmaking facilities in the world. Lucasfilm describes Skywalker Ranch as the home of Skywalker Sound, the company’s acclaimed sound design, mixing, and audio post-production operation.
The 153,000-square-foot Technical Building alone contains a scoring stage, six feature mixing stages, 15 sound-design suites, 50 editing suites, an ADR stage, two Foley stages, and the 300-seat Stag Theater.
The main property also contains the recognizable Main House and Lake Ewok.
Lucas began acquiring land for what would become Skywalker Ranch decades ago, transforming the secluded Marin County location into an enormous filmmaking and creative compound associated with some of Hollywood’s biggest productions.
Cal/OSHA Investigation Underway
For now, the biggest unanswered question is why the temporary structure collapsed in the first place.
Officials have not announced whether investigators believe the scaffolding itself failed, whether the weight or installation of the display screens played a role, or whether some other problem occurred during construction of the event setup.
Jon Favreau, George Lucas, Rosario Dawson, and Dave Filoni in Master & Apprentice: A Special Look at Ahsoka (2023), Lucasfilm
Cal/OSHA’s involvement means investigators will examine the circumstances surrounding the workplace accident and whether applicable safety requirements were being followed.
Fortunately, despite five people being injured and initial reports of multiple people trapped beneath the structure, authorities have reported no fatalities. As of the latest reports, additional information about the hospitalized workers and the specific event being prepared at Summit Skywalker Ranch has not been released.
Are you surprised that there was a major incident at Skywalker Ranch? Sound off and let us know!
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