Weymouth window washer falls to death from 32-story building in downtown Boston
BOSTON − A window washer from Weymouth died after falling from one of the tallest high-rise buildings in Boston on Monday morning, police said.
The worker was identified by the Suffolk County district attorney’s office as Nicholas Marks, 40, of East Weymouth. Marks worked for Sky Safety, a window cleaning company.
Boston emergency crews received a call Monday morning from 100 Summer St. about a window washer who had fallen. Police arrived at about 8 a.m. and said the man had died.
100 Summer St. is a 32-story building in the Financial District. It is one of the tallest buildings in Boston, according to the building's website.
“Two beautiful children and he’s going to be missed greatly,” a person who was at the scene said, according to Boston 25 News. “Great person... great person. That’s it. That’s all I got to say.”
Window washing safety
Window-washing fatalities are rare. According to Boston News 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is investigating, has reported 28 falls in the last five years, 11 of which were fatal.
Marks, a father of two, was described by several co-workers as a "really good guy." Investigators are working to determine what went wrong.
An eyewitness told WCVB he was walking out of the breezeway when he heard a thud above his head. He said he watched the man fall in front of him.
Witnesses say four window washers were hoisted about 20 stories above the ground. Part of the rope was still dangling, and the rest was on top of the breezeway.
By mid-morning, the medical examiner arrived, and investigators collected evidence to determine what happened.
"I know him, I started shaking," said Gerardo Ortiz, who also washes windows. "I couldn't believe it. I started calling other people, and they told me what happened."
"We just wake up in the morning, go to work, and we don't know what's going to happen that day," Ortiz said.
Ortiz said the victim was already tied off and coming down the rope, so he doesn't know what could have happened.
"It could've been the ropes failed or something, you know," he said.
Boston police, the Suffolk County district attorney's office and officials with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration are investigating.
The building is one of the tallest buildings in the city, according to its website.
“Earlier this morning, we were made aware of a tragic incident involving a window cleaning service provider at 100 Summer Street," a spokesperson for the building wrote in a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the individual’s family and loved ones. We are actively supporting the local authorities in their investigation of the incident, which remains ongoing."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weymouth window washer dies after falling from Boston high-rise
