Women fall from hotel window, one dies.

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Steely Dan

Steely Dan

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http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/28/georgia.hotel.fall/index.html?iref=NS1

Women fall from hotel window, one dies
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 30, 2011 4:21 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- One woman was killed and another injured after they fell from a 10th-floor window at an Atlanta hotel, authorities said Saturday.

According to Atlanta Police, witnesses said the two were attending a birthday party early Saturday at the W Atlanta-Midtown.

The pair were "play fighting" when they accidentally crashed through the window around 3:15 a.m., according to a preliminary investigation, said department spokesman Officer John Chafee. It was unclear Saturday where they landed....

That's some serious dang "play" fighting.
 
First of all, my condolences to this victims family, friends, loved ones and anyone who witnessed this horrible tragedy.


I heard about this yesterday and was astounded by the reported details. As a safety engineer it was extremely troubling and, if this tragedy occurred as reported; i.e., play fighting, then there is absolutely no way that window was installed and/or designed appropriately---NO WAY! My second thought was...as a female, I have never engaged in a "play fight"; at a party; as an adult. :waitasec: I actually don't recall ever doing it at home, as an adult, either; but I could see that as a more likely scenario, than at a party; IMO.

I'm not trying to pick apart what's being reported; it just sounds "hinky" to me.

I found several articles with quite a bit of information that I will link below.

It appears she left behind a daughter - prayers for this little girl...how very sad!

Both girls were / are video models or something??? All I know is both are / were beautiful - (pics inc. in some articles below).

One article stated that homicide was assisting in the investigation:waitasec::waitasec:

Regardless of the sequence of events, it's a tragedy all the way around. How horrible. I so hope my instincts are wrong and that this truly was an accident; but I'm even more doubtful after looking at the pics of the hotel window from which they "fell"...it doesn't seem large enough, IMO, for 2 women to fall through simultaneously; IMO.


<snip> (this article includes photos of the windows and ledge after the fall)

The women fell about five stories onto an exterior ledge at the hotel.

LT, 30, died on the ledge,the AJC reports. The other woman rolled off the ledge and fell to the ground.

Police are treating the incident as an accident, but Campos said the homicide unit is aiding in the investigation.
Click to expand...

http://midtown.patch.com/articles/two-women-fall-at-w-hotel-one-dies



<snip> (this article has a picture of both women together)
T, an aspiring model, and W were "play fighting" when they fell through a thick glass window on the 10th floor of the hotel around 3:15 a.m. Saturday.

"It was her 30th birthday and it was wonderful and fabulous, just like she was," said C, who knew T though modeling circles.

Afterwards, most of the group went to the hotel, where T had a rooftop party, said C.

"L is a mess, a silly goofball. She likes to play fight and tickle you. They had just gotten in the hotel and were having a good time," C said. "My friends who were there, said it was so random. They literally just fell out the window. They are two small girls and I am trying to figure out how the hell, two small girls could break a window like that."
Click to expand...

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/woman-injured-in-fall-960320.html



Police said "W" and model "LT" were celebrating T's 30th birthday and "play fighting" when they crashed through a window, according to the Atlanta police department and The Associated Press. T landed on a slanted glass ceiling above a sunroom below; W rolled off the sunroom and fell further to the patio on the ground.

However, a Ws' family member questioned the information about what transpired. Some in attendance reported the women were leaning on the window when it gave way, said L H, Ws' cousin who is from Lexington. Hotel officials declined to comment Sunday; Atlanta police could not be reached for comment.

"There is a police investigation under way, and all information must come from the authorities."

The Atlanta Police Department did not return calls seeking further comment.
Click to expand...

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/05/29/1757206/bryan-station-grad-critical-after.html


I tried to redact all names other than LE or public officials. I know we can use the victims name, but I didn't. I used initials for her too, sorry if it's too confusing.
 
People leaning against the window sounds more likely to me...maybe others were leaning too and only these two women fell?

Granted, I am not as young as these women, but I don't know what "play fighting" would entail, that it could cause this kind of a tragedy. And as it happened at 3:15AM I think it will turn out that alcohol was involved to some extent.
 
everyoneneedsavoice said:
First of all, my condolences to this victims family, friends, loved ones and anyone who witnessed this horrible tragedy.


I heard about this yesterday and was astounded by the reported details. As a safety engineer it was extremely troubling and, if this tragedy occurred as reported; i.e., play fighting, then there is absolutely no way that window was installed and/or designed appropriately---NO WAY! My second thought was...as a female, I have never engaged in a "play fight"; at a party; as an adult. :waitasec: I actually don't recall ever doing it at home, as an adult, either; but I could see that as a more likely scenario, than at a party; IMO.

I'm not trying to pick apart what's being reported; it just sounds "hinky" to me.

I found several articles with quite a bit of information that I will link below.

It appears she left behind a daughter - prayers for this little girl...how very sad!

Both girls were / are video models or something??? All I know is both are / were beautiful - (pics inc. in some articles below).

One article stated that homicide was assisting in the investigation:waitasec::waitasec:

Regardless of the sequence of events, it's a tragedy all the way around. How horrible. I so hope my instincts are wrong and that this truly was an accident; but I'm even more doubtful after looking at the pics of the hotel window from which they "fell"...it doesn't seem large enough, IMO, for 2 women to fall through simultaneously; IMO.


<snip> (this article includes photos of the windows and ledge after the fall)


http://midtown.patch.com/articles/two-women-fall-at-w-hotel-one-dies



<snip> (this article has a picture of both women together)


http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/woman-injured-in-fall-960320.html





http://www.kentucky.com/2011/05/29/1757206/bryan-station-grad-critical-after.html


I tried to redact all names other than LE or public officials. I know we can use the victims name, but I didn't. I used initials for her too, sorry if it's too confusing.
Click to expand...

My hinky meter went off too when I read about it. If you watch the video at the CNN site one of the people they interview talks about the sturdiness of the windows.

This is from the second article;

..."LaShawna is a mess, a silly goofball. She likes to play fight and tickle you. They had just gotten in the hotel and were having a good time," Chonvill said. "My friends who were there, said it was so random. They literally just fell out the window. They are two small girls and I am trying to figure out how the hell, two small girls could break a window like that."...

This is from the third article;

...Best friend Dallas Wright graduated from Bryan Station with Williams in 2004 and moved with her to Atlanta in 2007. He flew back to Atlanta from a trip to Florida after hearing of the accident.

"She's moving," Wright said. "She's very responsive. She's able to mouth words. She's asking questions. She's opening her eyes."

Williams, who finished her criminal justice degree at Eastern Kentucky University in 2008, graduated at the top of her Bryan Station class, Wright said. She called Williams a fighter....

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/05/30/1757206/bryan-station-grad-critical-after.html#ixzz1NsujA7EF

If that one girl survives we may find out the real story.


cluciano63 said:
People leaning against the window sounds more likely to me...maybe others were leaning too and only these two women fell?

Granted, I am not as young as these women, but I don't know what "play fighting" would entail, that it could cause this kind of a tragedy. And as it happened at 3:15AM I think it will turn out that alcohol was involved to some extent.
Click to expand...

IMO, casual leaning wouldn't break the window unless there was something severely wrong with it. These were models not NFL players. I don't know how much she weighed but her picture makes her look stick thin.

As for the alcohol I think it was alcohol and/or drugs. JMO
 
Something like this happened in New York awhile back. I think it was a man who fell, while goofing around, and I think it might have been from an office window.
 
LaShawna's boyfriend says he grabbed the back of her hair as she fell out. There were seven people in the room, who had just returned from the rooftop after dinner:

&#8220;There was no unruly activity, there was no one drunk, there was no party in the room,&#8221; he said.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/boyfriend-friend-tried-to-960320.html

If alcohol was not a factor, then those are some flimsy windows.
 
How very tragic.

I believe it was an accident and probably due to faulty windows or something of that nature. I do not get a feeling of any wrongdoing. This play fighting must have been pretty intense. I have never heard of anything of this sort.

Goz
 
Not too much new here...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/model-lashawna-threatt-dies-fall-atlanta-hotel-window/story?id=13728412

"Family and friends of LaShawna Threatt, a model who fell to her death from an Atlanta hotel room when she and a friend leaned against a large window, are questioning how the hotel could not have had shatterproof glass in the 10th floor room."

"He said he thinks Threatt's mother is having an attorney look into the case for a possible civil lawsuit, but ABC News was unable to reach the young woman's mother for comment."
 
She was beautiful
Feel so bad for everyone involved ..

I read the same thing that they were play fighting and went thru the window . Now the above article says leaning ..strange
 
the concept of "faulty windows" seems a stretch to me.

otoh so does the concept of people falling thru high rise hotel windows.

so, yeah..hinky meter.
 
Thanks for all the updates here. I haven't had a chance to come back to this thread since my last post.


I agree with the other posters re: "hinky" and/or faulty window..and it looks like the families do too!

Here are "snips" from some of the newest articles:


W Hotel fall victim laid to rest; Lawsuit being prepared

ATLANTA - LaShawna Threatt's parents ST and MT joined family and friends at the World Changers Ministries Church in College Park to say goodbye.

The young spokes model plunged to her death at the W Hotel-Midtown after celebrating her 30th birthday Friday, May 27. Her good friend Ciara Williams went out the window with her and is still in the hospital.

The open casket funeral was a hard thing to take for many in the procession.

Thursday, they (family) met with the famous Cochran Law Firm in Atlanta to talk about filing suit against the W Hotel.

11Alive News consulted a glass expert about the W Hotel's windows. Steve Lewis of Clearvue Glass, examined and measured the windows, telling us they are single pane and he believed they are not tempered glass, which is usually made to withstand high impact.


Lots more here:
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/192882/40/MIDTOWN-W-Hotel-fall-victim-laid-to-rest



Surviving Hotel Fall Victim Communicates

Four days after falling 10 stories from a midtown Atlanta hotel, a woman is communicating with loved ones, friends said.

Friends said Williams, who is being treated at Grady Hospital, has communicated through written messages.

“She took a marker and wrote to me,”...

...Williams has even asked about her friend who died in the accident.

“She's alert. She knows what's going on,”

“She keeps asking for LaShawna. I couldn't tell her.”

An ongoing Atlanta police investigation hasn't found any signs of criminal activity. Hamilton said the women were hugging and leaning against the glass when they fell through. The W is doing an internal review of why the window broke.

More here:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28100123/detail.html


Incident Report (very short)
http://www.11alive.com/data/pdf/W-Hotel-111480465.pdf
 
Well...looks as if the victim's family has filed a suit against the hotel after learning the glass / installation was defective. Good for them!

What a horrible tragedy that was COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE through appropriate safety evaluations, installation / modification assessments, etc., if true.

It's a shame that it takes a death and subsequent lawsuit to get answers and hopefully prevent this from happening again.

I hope all of the victim's in this case lean on those responsible, from the hotel to every last contractor involved in this installation or modification, whatever it was!

This safety engineer in me can't let this go. I know many might not be following this still, but the more I read about this the more livid I become!


<snip>

The parents of a woman who died after falling out a 10th floor hotel window have filed separate lawsuits that claim the W Atlanta-Midtown knew the glass was defective and improperly installed.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/two-lawsuits-filed-in-971180.html
 
I kind of hate how quickly the family is thinking about lawsuits, but that is just me. And I am kind of cynical in thinking that lots of lawsuits are not really about "finding answers."
 
Lawsuits in a situation like this serve a purpose. Without them, we might as well not have Health and Safety requirements.

(And yes, I know there are many frivolous lawsuits; and no, I don't want to constrain businesses, etc., anymore than necessary to preserve safety and integrity.)
 
T-Rex said:
Something like this happened in New York awhile back. I think it was a man who fell, while goofing around, and I think it might have been from an office window.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Balcony was in poor condition and needed work, it just caved.
No, it was not an office but it was a high floor.
 
cluciano63 said:
I kind of hate how quickly the family is thinking about lawsuits, but that is just me. And I am kind of cynical in thinking that lots of lawsuits are not really about "finding answers."
Click to expand...

If they wait, the window can be repaired and then how would they prove that it was defective???
sometimes it has to be this way :(
 
T-Rex said:
Something like this happened in New York awhile back. I think it was a man who fell, while goofing around, and I think it might have been from an office window.
Click to expand...

It was Toronto and the guys name was Gary Hoy.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/window.asp

Here's his Darwin Award writeup;

Lawyer Aloft
1996 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(1996, Toronto) Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane of glass with his shoulder and plunged twenty-four floors to his death....
 
Steely Dan said:
It was Toronto and the guys name was Gary Hoy.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/window.asp

Here's his Darwin Award writeup;

Lawyer Aloft
1996 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(1996, Toronto) Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane of glass with his shoulder and plunged twenty-four floors to his death....
Click to expand...

Okay, I am going straight to hell for this: I laughed out loud when I read at the end that a partner of his firm called him one of their" best and brightest".
 
montana_16 said:
Okay, I am going straight to hell for this: I laughed out loud when I read at the end that a partner of his firm called him one of their" best and brightest".
Click to expand...

BBM

If laughing at stupid people's deaths is an offense that sends you to hell I'm doomed. I love the Darwin Awards site. :floorlaugh:

http://www.darwinawards.com/slush/201008/pending20100809-123600.html

...Submitted as an "At Risk Survivor" - original incident occurred in 2006 and have not found it on your site yet. 3 Media references (including video) are at the end of the story.

The Northeast Ambulance Service in Sunderland, England were called to an incident in the town following a report of a man who had suffered serious firework injuries.

The 22 year old man had inserted a rocket into his backside, laid down on his front and lit the fuse in an attempt to make it fly into the air....


:doh:
 
montana_16 said:
Okay, I am going straight to hell for this: I laughed out loud when I read at the end that a partner of his firm called him one of their" best and brightest".
Click to expand...

I never mastered the formula for calculating rates of descent, but from 24 stories, I'm guessing that lawyer had enough time to think, "That wasn't such a good idea!"
 
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