Crews Rescue Window Washers from World Trade Center

 Emergency crews rescued two window washers who were trapped on a hanging platform that was dangling dangerously at the 68th floor of the One World Trade Center building in Lower Manhattan. According to a CNN news report, the tower is the country’s tallest building at 1,776 feet. Rescue workers had to use a diamond saw to tear through three layers of glass panes, the thickest of them nearly two inches. The workers were not injured and were pulled to safety. Both men were taken to a local hospital with mild hypothermia.

Ongoing Investigation
The workers had apparently been tethered inside the hanging platform. Additional personal safety cables were lowered from the roof of the 104-story building. A cable on one side of the hanging platform developed slack, leaving it suspended in a near-vertical position. Officials are looking into what caused that. The window washers belong to the Service Employees International Union that represents about 600 window washers in New York City.
Tractel was the company that designed, built and installed the window-washing rig. Tractel was also the company that designed the scaffolding that collapsed at the Hearst Tower in Manhattan last year. In that case, two workers were rescued from more than 550 feet above street level after their scaffolding buckled near the top of the tower. Those workers spent 90 minutes dangling near the top of the building, but suffered no physical injuries.
Compensation for Injured Window Cleaners
These incidents are constant reminders of the dangers cleaning crews face in New York City. Under safety standards approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), building owners and managers must create safe working conditions for these high-rise cleaning crews and provide a written plan each year that addresses several safety concerns including inspection of permanent window cleaning equipment installed on rooftops.
Examples of such equipment include powered platforms, supports, anchors and permanent ladders. In cases where window washers are injured or killed, manufacturers of defective scaffolding as well as employers and others may be held liable. So, in addition to receiving workers’ compensation benefits, injured workers and their families may also be entitled to a third-party claim.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a New York City window-washing accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. With more than 43 years of experience, we work tirelessly to help obtain the best possible compensation for injured victims or those who have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence. Verdicts that were achieved for our clients include, $43,940,000 and $23,500,000.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: http://www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: CNN