TAMPA, Fla. — A routine check of a navigation light in Port Tampa Bay was anything but routine when a platform collapsed, sending a Coast Guard crewman into the water.
A 10News photographer was rolling as the man climbs atop the wooden structure to check a navigation light. Upon tossing some equipment back to the boat -- "Heads up, down there!" -- it collapses.
The crew aboard pulls the man toward the boat and to safety.
His hard hat, unfortunately, is long gone.
The exercise is part of the Coast Guard's hurricane preparedness because they are the first to respond in checking navigation equipment after a major storm.
Being in the open air all day -- every day -- and exposed to the elements, the Coast Guard said today's incident is why it's important to conduct inspections.
No one is allowed in or out of Port Tampa Bay until the Coast Guard gives the all-clear following a hurricane.
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