Window washer survives 13-story plunge in Ala.

A window washer survived a 13-story fall from near the top of a Birmingham, Ala., hospital still under construction, the Associated Press reports.
The unidentified worker landed on recently planted shrubbery and mulch, which helped break the 200-foot fall Thursday at the 14-story Children’s of Alabama, a fire official said. WBRC-TV reports the accident happened Wednesday.
The worker, a subcontractor with Everclear Enterprises in Atlanta, was conscious when taken to another hospital for treatment. WBRC says he’s in stable condition.
He was climbing onto a platform when he fell. His safety equipment helped slow the plunge. The fire official told AP the safety equipment had failed, but a spokesperson with Everclear told WBRC today that a preliminary investigation shows no such failure.
Children’s of Alabama is scheduled to open this summer.