Scaffolding Falls 43 Floors, Killing 3 in Chicago

Scaffolding from the landmark John Hancock Center building fell on a busy downtown street and crushed cars Saturday, killing three people and critically injuring two, a fire department spokesman said.

Unusually high winds were whipping through the area, but it was too soon to say if they caused the 25 feet of scaffolding to fall from the 43rd floor, Fire Department Cmdr. Tim Stokes said.

Krista Galaida, who was working in a flower shop on the first floor of the Hancock building, said she heard what sounded like an explosion.

“We just bolted; it was so loud and the ground shook,” said Galaida. “We thought a truck had come into the building or something. Everybody thought it was a bomb.”

The scaffolding had been erected so crews, who weren’t believed to be working Saturday, could repair and clean the face of the building, Fire Commissioner James Joyce said.

Winds gusted up to 58 mph at a downtown airport around the time of the collapse, according to the National Weather Service.

Those killed were in three cars that were crushed by the debris, Stokes said. Glass also rained down on the crowded streets.

One woman was in critical condition and two others were in good condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, administrator Shelley Williams said.

A 56-year-old woman was in critical condition with injuries that included a broken femur and another woman was in fair condition at Cook County Hospital, a hospital administrator said.

A 56-year-old man was treated and released from Grant Hospital for an injury to his right shoulder caused when he tried to help remove someone from a car, a nursing supervisor said.

The 100-story Hancock building, the city’s third-tallest building, anchors the north end of the city’s busy Michigan Avenue shopping district.

Streets in the area were closed and traffic was rerouted.