Window washer critically injured in fall at Northwestern

A window washer was critically injured when he fell six stories while working at a hospital Wednesday morning on the Near North Side.

The man, whose age was not immediately available, fell from a chair while cleaning windows about 8 a.m. on the sixth floor of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the 200 block of East Huron, according to police and a statement from his employer.

A statement from the hospital said the fall was an “accident.”

“Given the situation and location of the incident, several Northwestern Medicine medical professionals nearby responded to provide on-site emergency care,” the hospital statement said.

He was taken to the hospital’s emergency room and was listed in critical condition, police said.

“This is one of our most experienced and dedicated employees and we are focused on providing assistance to him and his family as he undergoes various medical tests and procedures,” a statement from his employer, Corporate Cleaning Services, said.

“We are also working closely with investigators so that we can better understand exactly how this happened and to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” according to the statement.

Corporate Cleaning Services has never had a similar incident, according to their statement. They were cited by OSHA five years ago for violations not related to incidents with employees.

Area Central detectives are investigating.