Atherton window cleaner died from fall in Eccles: A window cleaner died when he accidentally fell while doing his job, an inquest jury has ruled. Daniel Lobb, aged 43, of Everest Road, Hag Fold, Atherton, died while cleaning a first floor window at a house in Eccles on January 23, Bolton Coroner’s Court heard. Sarah Taylor, HM Inspector of Health and Safety, told an inquest jury that Mr Lobb may have been stood on the ledge or flat roof rather than the ladder when he fell. Mrs Taylor said: “The window cleaner often wants to be as quick as possible and clean as many windows as possible. “The difficulty is engaging self-employed people and getting them to have health and safety training.”
Bolton coroner, Jennifer Leeming, added: “When you do something every day, I am not sure you appreciate the magnitude of the risk you take.” Mr Lobb fell approximately 20 feet from a terraced house in Broadman Street, Eccles, between 11.40am and noon. The owners of the property dialled 999 when Mr Lobb was discovered lying at the bottom of the ladder in the front garden. Mr Lobb died at Salford Royal Hospital at 9.17pm that day.
The ladder was still standing when the window cleaner was found on the concrete slabs beneath the window and one of the paving stones was broken. Mrs Taylor said: “What it seems, based on what we know, is that he stepped onto the ledge or even the window sill which might have been slippy, or the roof. “It is most likely that he slipped down which is why he was found face down rather than if he fell backwards.” Pauline Gibbons, owner of the property where he fell, said Mr Lobb “had the shakes” on the morning of his death. Pathologist Dr Desai told the court Mr Lobb had died of multiple injuries, including a ruptured spleen and damaged kidney. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. Previous blog here.
Cat Survives 19-Story Fall: Fortunate feline lives through dramatic high-rise accident. Sugar, the cat, survived a 19-story fall from a downtown Boston high rise, according to Jennifer Wooliscroft, spokeswoman for the Animal Rescue League of Boston. The little white cat's amazing adventure may sound like an urban legend, but she's not the first pet to demonstrate the dangers of leaving the windows open. In 2009, Lucky, then a 3-year-old Bengal tabby, fell from a 26th floor balcony in New York City. His drop was captured on video by a window-washing crew across the street from his Liberty Drive apartment. Lucky landed without a scratch and was later able to make an appearance on Good Morning America.
Sugar's owner, Brittany Kirk, is sharing her story to help prevent accidents by reminding pet owners to stay vigilant about open windows, especially with the warm weather here.
Pets fall out unscreened windows so "regularly," Dr. Alett Mekler said, "the veterinary profession has named the problem 'High Rise Syndrome.'" Serious head and pelvis injuries often are the result.
"When pets fall from high places, they don't land squarely on their feet," Mekler said. "Instead, they land with their feet splayed apart." With cats, falling shorter distances can be more dangerous than the long drops because the animal doesn't have time to adjust its body for the optimal landing. High rise syndrome is preventable, Mekler said, if people will install secure window screens and exercise care about leaving pets home alone. Dogs that are fearful about thunder or fireworks should be "treated for their anxiety and securely housed when left alone," Mekler said. If an animal does fall out a window, the owner must find it right away and rush it to a veterinarian. "Don't assume that the animal has not survived the fall," Mekler said.
"I was always very careful about my windows," Kirk said. But that morning of March 21, a house guest was staying in the apartment. The guest opened the window about five inches and did not notice when Sugar fell out. Kirk was at work when Sugar landed in the street behind the apartment building. The impact bruised Sugar's lungs, but she was otherwise uninjured, Wooliscroft said, probably because on the way down Sugar splayed her feet like a flying squirrel and slowed down her body's momentum.
Also a factor, Kirk said, when Sugar fell, a neighbor happened to be standing by her window and saw something white fluttering down. The woman suspected someone had tossed litter out the window, and she called the concierge to complain. The concierge went out to check, found the cat and called for help, Kirk said. "Sugar was on the ground with her arms all spread out," Kirk said, according to the concierge's description. She happened to land on a small square of mulch, Kirk said. The area was otherwise surrounded by concrete; and if the cat had missed the soft landing by a foot or so, the outcome might not have been so lucky, she said.
Sugar did run away when the concierge approached her, but she didn't go far. "Sugar ran into the front lobby and hid under a couch," Kirk said. That's where the Animal Rescue League people found her. The story could have ended very differently, if Sugar had been lost after her fall, Kirk said. "My cat is deaf, and she's never even been outside," Kirk said, and she could have been killed in traffic. Sugar came home a "little dazed" and had to stay on antibiotics for a few days, Kirk said, but she has since made a complete recovery. "She's back to her old mischievous ways," Kirk said, but with one exception. She's not allowed anywhere near a window. "I'm not taking any chances ever again," Kirk said.
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