Another Window Cleaner Dies - More Accidents - More Idiots

A 78-year-old window washer was fatally injured (died).

Window washer fatally injured in fall: A 78-year-old window washer was fatally injured in a fall this morning at Christian Theological Seminary. According to an IMPD spokesman, the accident occurred about 10 a.m. at the seminary, 4251 N. Haughey St. The fall, said IMPD spokesman Michael Hewitt, “appears to be accidental. According to supervisors, there does not appear to be any foul play.’’ The man’s name is not being released pending notification of relatives.

Window washer falls to his death at CTS - Indianapolis (WISH) - IMPD officials say a man fell to his death while washing windows at the Christian Theological Seminary. Officials say the 78-year-old man was washing windows at CTS, which is just off Butler's campus, when he fell from the third floor. The man was pronounced dead on the scene. Officials say foul play is not suspected. This appears to be an accident.

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A broken handrail at the Harbour View Thai Restaurant on Addison St shows where a window washer fell this morning.

Window cleaner injured in Addison St balcony fall (Illawarra, NSW, Australia): A window cleaner has been airlifted to hospital with a serious head injury after he fell from the balcony of a Shellharbour restaurant. The man was washing the side glass partitions of the Harbour View Thai Restaurant, on Addison Street, moments before he fell four metres into the gutter, taking part of the balcony handrail with him.

New South Wales Ambulance paramedics came to the aid of the man, 42, from Flinders, shortly after 8 o'clock this morning. He lost consciousness in the fall and was confused and disoriented when paramedics arrived. He was transported to Illawarra Regional Airport then airlifted to St George Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment for a possible fractured skull. He remains in a serious but stable condition.

Hamburg City - sure is different. A window cleaner is balancing around 13 meters height on a ladder, while his colleague is holding the rope that secures him. But in an emergency.. both fall.  A reader-reporter photographed this dangerous game, saying.. "That's just crazy."

Dieter Gottschalk (63), operations manager at the Heidmann Building Cleaning Ltd., was horrified... "They were employees of a subcontractor of us. "We will be calling our sub-contractors for a conversation."

These window cleaners have no pane! (No shit!) - Oh man, the reckless! Two window cleaners doing some gymnastics on a 13 meter building. One secures the other with a rope. Just stupid.. he himself is totally unsecured at the roof edge.  If the lower man falls, he takes the upper man with him.  To make matters worse, the man on the roof is on the phone. The office building "Schaumburg Hof" in downtown Hamburg.  A reader-reporter photographed this dangerous game, saying.. "that's just crazy."

When these images were shown to the window cleaning company afterwards, Dieter Gottschalk (63), operations manager at Heidmann Building Cleaning Ltd., was horrified. "They were employees of a subcontractor of us."  "The window cleaner on the roof would have to be secured with a separate belt system and a rope also."  "He is disregarding the accident prevention regulations of the trade association." "We are going to call our sub-contractors in regard to this conversation."

Professional Window Cleaning Service - Save Yourself Time

Read Testimonials from 100 other Thrilled WCR Customers!

Angie's Advice: DIY is fine, unless you undervalue your time: It's the dirtiest of dirty jobs, and Connie LaRocco has no interest in doing it. So once a week, it's worth it to the Greenwood resident to pay about $10 for someone else to do away with the doo. Specifically, dog doo. "I'm older, and I have back problems," said LaRocco, "so I hired someone to do it. It's nice to know that it's done."

Often, homeowners assume the cost of hiring a pro for a tedious task can't be justified. Really, they're undervaluing their own time, as well as the stress relief even a little help can offer. By hiring a professional to tackle those tasks, families can spend more time together and less on jobs like housecleaning, lawn mowing, window washing and, yes, even cleaning up after your dog.

While most homeowners can keep up with basic tidiness, Jim Alford, owner of Mr. Clean Cleaning Service in Indianapolis, said his service is designed to clean areas homeowners might overlook, like air return vents, light bulbs, blinds, door jambs and cabinet fronts. According to a recent Angie's List survey of housecleaners in Indianapolis, the average cost per cleaning is about $30 to $40 per hour.

"Spending the money to have your home cleaned is really an investment (in) your family," said Alford. "I have heard over and over again how much (customers) appreciate knowing that when they come home from work and walk into their home that it will be spotless; the job is already done; and they can sit and relax."

Taylon Sandlin, owner of Skybright Window Cleaning in Indianapolis, estimates it would take most homeowners a weekend, if not longer, to clean their windows, and the result still would not be the same as hiring a professional who has the proper tools and training. The average price for an inside-and-out window cleaning, which includes wiping the sills, tracks and screens, is about $200.

"We can clean that entire house, including the tracks and every other nook and cranny, in just over two hours," Sandlin said. "The time savings is huge, but safety is probably even more important, primarily in regards to using a ladder."

Lawn care is another task that eats up a lot of precious summertime. Few homeowners enjoy the sweat and mess, keeping the gas can full and maintaining the mower. Leaving the mowing and trimming to the experts costs on average about $35 per mow and frees up weekends for something more enjoyable.

If you don't hire a reputable, reliable professional though, you'll likely add to your stress level rather than reduce it. There are plenty of companies whose business it is to take on your chore list. Budget the cost of hiring a professional, then do your homework to find someone with a good reputation who will make your life easier. Angie Hicks is a Fishers resident and founder of Angie's List, a national provider of ratings in more than 500 categories of service.

59 Year Sentence For "Best Window Cleaner"

Officer's shooter gets maximum sentence: Brian Reese spent most of the past decade free from trouble. A friend called him the best window cleaner in the city, and two daughters said Reese showered them with affection and support. But that seemed like a different Reese from the man sentenced to 59 years in prison Friday for nearly killing Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn during a foot chase in July 2008. Testimony from the daughters, their mother and a friend who ran a window cleaning business with Reese was hard to square with the image of him, then a crack-cocaine user, shooting the patrolman in the head.

Reese is accused of killing three other people that week, with trials coming soon. Before giving the maximum penalty Friday, Marion Superior Court Judge Lisa Borges said Reese, 37, deeply hurt his own family as well as Fishburn's, and she issued a $4,000 fine. "To your children," the judge said, "I would say that choices have consequences. And your dad made some very bad choices: the choice to use drugs, the choice to carry a gun and the choice to run from police."

Reese was convicted last month of attempted murder, resisting law enforcement and carrying a handgun without a license by a jury in Northwest Indiana's Porter County, where the trial was moved because of publicity. Reese's attorneys challenged the lead charge, arguing that Reese didn't shoot with intent to kill. At Friday's hearing in Indianapolis, Fishburn's presence brought home the enduring effects of his encounter with Reese between two houses shortly after the officer had joined the chase on Indianapolis' Eastside.

Fishburn, 30, hobbles wearing a leg brace, can barely move his right arm and sometimes struggles to find the right words. Returning to street duty might be an elusive dream. He now handles administrative tasks at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Fishburn displayed what might be his deepest emotional wound when Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson asked, "Did you like being a police officer?" "Yes," he replied tearfully.

Scaffold Collapse for Window Cleaners

INDIANAPOLIS — Rescuers are scrambling to assist at least three people after a scaffold collapse left them dangling from a Downtown high rise building this afternoon. The workers appeared to be part of a crew washing windows or performing other maintenance on the outside of the 31-story M&I Plaza at 135 N. Pennsylvania Street when the scaffolding gave way and shattered several windows at about 12:45 a.m. Ropes and safety harnesses held the workers against the building, about nine stories high. The scaffold is dangling from one set of cables. About 1:30 p.m., a crane had been raised to reach the worker closest to the collapsed scaffold. An IFD firefighter was attached to the worker by ropes and officials are in the process of pulling the two to the top of the building.Hundreds of onlookers gathered on the streets below to watch the men dangling from safety harnesses and rope. Firefighters were assisting the victims. Several windows on the top floors were broken. There were no reports of injuries.

And another: Fire crews had to rescue two workers who were hanging from the Ocean Mist Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. One worker was rescued quickly, the other had to be hoisted to safety.