Rescuers from the Houston Fire Department responded to the site of a terrifying partial scaffolding collapse in Downtown Houston this morning.
The high angle rescue began before 11:00 a.m. this morning at the JPMorgan Chase building on Texas Street near Travis. A window washer’s scaffolding partially collapsed after one of its support lines gave way due to a motor failure on one of the upper floors. The scaffolding was left to dangle precariously at a 45-degree angle from the 71st floor of the 75-story building.
The rescue operation was successfully completed just before 11:30 a.m. after firefighters were able to pull the workers to safety through a window. Thankfully, there have been no reports of injuries. The cause of the incident is now under investigation.
The JPMorgan Chase building is currently the tallest building in Texas.
Scaffolding accidents are unfortunately far too common in the state of Texas. You may recall that just this past October, another major scaffolding collapse occurred in Downtown Houston, trapping several victims under massive amounts of debris. We at Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs are grateful for our brave Houston firefighters and rescue teams for their quick response to accidents like these and for doing whatever it takes to protect the lives of fellow Texans.
View pictures of this morning’s harrowing rescue online via KHOU.
