Three construction workers were seriously injured Monday when wood and steel scaffolding collapsed on them during an attempt to remove the support beams from a portion of the Century Freeway project just south of Los Angeles International Airport.

Ruben Holguin was unconscious and on a life-support system at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center following the 2:15 p.m. accident, said officials at the Kasler Corp. of Highland, a firm handling construction at the site.

Another worker, James Warner, underwent surgery and was in serious condition at Harbor-UCLA. The third man, Dan Torres, suffered a broken leg and was in stable condition at Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center in Hawthorne, said Richard Guiss, a spokesman for Kasler Corp.

Monday's collapse was the second such accident in 14 months at the project, a planned interchange with the San Diego Freeway. There were no injuries in the previous collapse.