Three Die as Skyscraper Scaffold Falls

A window-washing platform blown sideways by strong winds fell from near the top of a 36-story downtown skyscraper Tuesday, killing three people and injuring a fourth, officials said.

Killed were two men who were on the platform when it fell and a female pedestrian who was below, said Paul Pepe, director of emergency services for Houston. Another woman walking by was injured, Pepe said.

“It looks like they (the men) might have stayed with the scaffolding all the way down. The two men were in the front of the scaffold. The women were side by side when they were hit,” he said.

Four bolts anchoring the window-washing scaffold to the top of the Pennzoil Building gave way as winds blew the scaffold sideways, Deputy Fire Chief L. O. Martin said.

The scaffold, believed to have fallen from the 31st floor, bounced off the street and hit the two women. The accident occurred about 12:20 p.m., when the street normally is filled with lunchtime crowds.