Window installers unfazed by ordeal outside Atlanta tower
Two window installers who dangled from the top of Atlanta's tallest building until their rescue Monday afternoon didn't think it was a big deal.
One of them, William Miller, later recalled how he reacted when a firefighter referred to him as a "victim" after he was plucked from a basket hanging outside the 47th floor of the Bank of America tower.
"Whoa, whoa," Miller interjected. "I'm not a victim."
Miller and Paul Barker had installed a window on the 23rd floor of the 55-story tower and were raising their platform to the top when the motor malfunctioned, Capt. Jolyon Bundrige of the Atlanta Department of Fire and Rescue told the AJC.
That was just before 1 p.m. During the nearly two hours until their rescue, the Atlanta Contract Glazing employees said in an interview afterward, they passed the time chatting on their cellphones, taking pictures and enjoying the view. Miller, who e-mailed photos of his predicament to his girlfriend, said it was all part of a day's work and no big deal.
But Atlanta firefighters took it seriously. Bundrige said his department dispatched 58 rescuers and 13 vehicles to ensure the men's safety.
The extraction began after 2 p.m. Video footage from a WSB-TV helicopter showed a firefighter descending from the building's roof down to the basket, attaching himself to the men and hoisting them up, one at a time. The firefighter was Justin Hodges of company 14, Bundrige said.
The operation temporarily closed Peachtree Street at the intersection with North Avenue and captured the attention of nearby residents.
Tracy Morgan, who lives in a building on Piedmont Avenue, spied the action through a pair of binoculars. She saw a man who seemed to be casually talking on his cellphone and waving to the people below.
People in those jobs are probably comfortable with heights, Morgan said.
"If you're panicking," she said, "it's probably not the job for you."
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
