SAN FRANCISCO -- Two window washers were rescued this morning after their scaffolding broke and left them dangling outside a high-rise condominium building in San Francisco's Mission Bay. Raul Aguilar and his nephew, Benito Aguilar, were working on a platform outside the top floor of the 16th story Arterra condominium complex at 300 Berry St. when the scaffolding collapsed at about 8:30 a.m., said Mindy Talmadge, a Fire Department spokeswoman. The platform ended up in a vertical position, but the men didn't fall to the ground because they were wearing safety harnesses, Talmadge said. One man was pulled to safety from the roof, Talmadge said. The other man was pulled into the building through a window on the 14th floor.
Both men suffered serious to moderate injuries and are being treated at San Francisco General Hospital. Tony Aguilar, Benito Aguilar's cousin, said he had been washing windows at a different building when he heard about the accident. "I came over here and saw the scaffold hanging," he said. One of the two booms that secured the scaffolding apparently came loose, Talmadge said. Half of that boom was left hanging from a rope, while the other half fell into a courtyard, she said. The boom that remained on the roof was bent. The men are employed by Capital Building Maintenance, officials said. Cal/OSHA is investigating why the scaffolding collapsed.
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