Shattered - Tourist Reel from Glass Deck Shock

• Content
• News
• Shattered - Tourist Reel from Glass Deck Shock

30 May 2014 | Updated 01 January 1970

As reported recently on ThisWeekinFM, Chicago is home to skyscrapers that take advantage of their position to entertain visitors at height (click here for previous reporting).

But some at The Willis Tower got the shock of their lives yesterday when the Skydeck they were standing on apparently started to collapse below their feet.

The Skydeck is made up of four glass booths that allow visitors to 'stand over the ledge', 103 storeys up. (All four have now been closed while an investigation takes place.) In one booth three friends were peering down when the glass floor appeared to start to crack below their feet. Curiously, rather than jump back, one of the friends pulled out his mobile phone to record his impending plunge to earth. However, it turned out that it was the coating on the glass that had failed rather than the structural element. The Willis Tower has claimed  that the coating was only in place to prevent scratching - but most glass coatings are also a fundamental strength enhancer. The spokespeople also seem to have dropped a boo boo by claiming the closure was for routine maintenance inspections - a propaganda whitewash that is unlikely to go down well with the public.

"Skydeck Chicago is open today while the protective coating is being replaced," said Brian Rehme, from FleishmanHillard PR. "We have temporarily closed the four Ledge boxes for routine inspection but we hope to reopen them shortly."

Watch the News Report

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 30 May 2014

Share

Related Articles