Elon Musk's Boring Company has suspended construction on its highly anticipated Las Vegas airport tunnel following a severe workplace accident that left a worker with crushing injuries. The incident, which required an 18-person fire department rescue team and triggered an immediate OSHA investigation, highlights mounting safety concerns at the company's Vegas operations where dozens of workers have been injured over recent years.
The emergency call came in at 10:12 p.m. Wednesday night - another worker down at one of Elon Musk's most ambitious infrastructure projects. This time, it was serious enough to shut down the entire Vegas airport tunnel operation.
The Boring Company immediately suspended work on its Las Vegas International Airport connection after a worker sustained what authorities are calling a 'crushing injury' at the construction site. The Clark County Fire Department dispatched 18 rescue personnel and used an on-site crane to lift the injured worker from the tunnel. According to Fortune's reporting, the worker is in stable condition, but the incident has triggered Nevada's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to open a formal investigation.
The accident comes at a critical juncture for Boring Company's Vegas expansion. The company has successfully operated 3.5 miles of tunnels connecting the Las Vegas Convention Center to nearby hotel casinos, providing over 3 million rides since launch. But the airport connection represents the crown jewel of Musk's vision to create an underground transportation network spanning virtually all of Las Vegas.
What's particularly troubling is the pattern emerging from these construction sites. This isn't an isolated incident - dozens of Boring Company workers have been injured during the Vegas tunnel construction over the past few years. The safety concerns have grown so serious that the company's former safety manager for the Las Vegas project went public with warnings about the dangers workers face daily in these underground construction zones.
Fortune previously revealed that workers have 'flirted with death' on multiple occasions, raising questions about whether the company's aggressive timelines are compromising worker safety protocols. The former safety manager's public statements represent a rare break in Silicon Valley's culture of corporate loyalty, suggesting the safety issues run deeper than typical construction hazards.
The timing couldn't be worse for Boring Company's broader ambitions. The Vegas tunnel system was supposed to be a proof of concept for similar networks in other major cities. stock has been under pressure this year, and Musk's various ventures are increasingly scrutinized for operational execution. A prolonged OSHA investigation could delay not just the airport tunnel but potentially impact the company's ability to bid on similar infrastructure projects nationwide.
