The Marion Building (middle) recently lost one of its windows.

The month of May was unkind to glass windows in at least four different buildings. Reports of falling glass came in from Augusta, South Bend, London and Chennai. The four separate incidents were all ruled accidents. With the exception of the incident in Chennai, the buildings were vacant or under construction at the time of the accidents.

Falling glass is an anomaly

Let’s take a look at what happened.
Augusta, GA. Glass from the Marion Building, one of the oldest buildings in downtown Augusta, came crashing down on a parked car, and on the sidewalk below the building. Falling glass damaged a parked car, and narrowly missed pedestrians on the street. According to witnesses, a glass window was blown from the building on an exceptionally windy day. The building is currently vacant, and according to the owner, he is in the process of selling the building. Officials from the city’s building department said that they would inspect the rest of the windows in the building for loose window glass. No one was injured in the accident.

South Bend. Glass panels being removed by a contractor fell from the 25th floor of the former Chase Tower in South Bend, IN. The falling panels struck the adjacent Tower Building, breaking at least three windows in that building. According to the contractor and witness reports, a gust of wind lifted the loose panels and sent them tumbling. Two downtown South Bend streets were closed while the remainder of the work was completed.

London. A pedestrian was injured by a falling 4-ft glass panel in London. The glass fell from a structure that was being renovated at the time of the accident. The pedestrian, who required a blood transfusion as the result of the accident, suffered a head injury and was hospitalized overnight for observation. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Chennai. Glass ceiling panels fell from the Chennai Airport in Chennai, India. The airport, which opened three years ago, has been plagued by a series of incidents involving falling glass, granite and other building materials. Chennai Airport is the third-busiest airport in India. According to authorities, a thorough inspection of the building was completed and changes in building maintenance routines were suggested to avoid future accidents. No one was injured in the most recent incident.

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Photo Credit: Boston Public Library , via Flickr.com