Boring Co. Employee Injured Digging Las Vegas Tunnel

Posted on: September 11, 2025, 01:28h. 

Last updated on: September 11, 2025, 01:33h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Vegas Myths Busted.
  • A worker for Elon Musk’s Boring Company suffered a “crushing injury” while digging a tunnel in Las Vegas Wednesday
  • The worker was hospitalized but the company says he’s “doing well”
  • The accident happened beneath at the site of what is eventually intended to be the Vegas Loop station serving the Sphere

A Boring Company worker is recovering from what colleagues described as a “crushing injury” sustained late Wednesday night, according to the Clark County Fire Department (CCFD). The incident occurred at 10:12 p.m. underneath 3987 Paradise Road, just east of the Las Vegas Strip.

The Vegas Loop is an underground transportation system using Tesla cars, driven by Vegas Loop employees, to shuttle passengers between seven stations — four at the Las Vegas Convention Center (opened in June 2021), one at Resorts World (opened June 2022), one at Westgate (January 2025) and Encore. (Image: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
On August 26, the Boring Company posted this photo to its X account showing one of its tunneling machines breaking through the ground across the Strip from Encore Las Vegas. This tunnel is part of a bidirectional connection between Encore/Wynn and the Las Vegas Convention Center. (Image: X/@theboringcompany)

A CCFD spokesperson said firefighters descended into the sub-grade tunnel to reach the injured employee. After evaluating his condition, they secured him in a stokes basket — a specialized rescue stretcher designed for confined spaces — and used an on-site crane to lift him to the surface. He was then transported to Sunrise Hospital.

“The employee is in stable condition and doing well,” the Boring Company said in a statement to the media. “We are actively investigating the incident and extend our gratitude to the Clark County Fire Department, with whom we work closely, for their swift response.”

No reason for the injury was provided.

The injured worker was part of a crew excavating a tunnel segment intended to link the Westgate, Virgin Hotels, and the Sphere. The accident took place beneath the former Gordon Biersch Brewery, a property that Boring, which is 90% owned by Elon Musk, purchased for $10 million last year to use for its Sphere station.

A 2024 photo from OSHA shows a Vegas Loop tunnel through which Boring Company employees were forced to walk, flooded with a sludge containing dangerous chemicals. (Image: OSHA)

Following the incident, tunnel operations were suspended pending a formal investigation by Nevada OSHA.

Latest Safety Concern

This comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the company’s safety record. In 2024, OSHA levied more than $100K in fines against Boring for eight serious violations, including a chemical hose mishap that left up to 20 workers with burn injuries. (OSHA defines “serious” violations as those posing a substantial risk of death or significant harm.)

Despite these setbacks, the company’s underground transit system — popularly dubbed the “Tesla Tunnels” — has transported more than 2 million passengers since launching in June 2021.