Family of window washer who fell 11 stories thankful he landed on car

A window washer is doing “a little better” but still fighting for his life after falling 11 stories from a San Francisco building then bouncing off a moving car, his family said in a statement Tuesday.

The man, whose name has not been released by the family or San Francisco General Hospital officials, suffered life-threatening injuries in the Friday morning fall and has been fighting for his life ever since, according to a statement published by the Associated Press.

“We are amazed that he fell from such a high distance and still survived. Landing on the car really helped, and we are so thankful for that,” the statement said.

“He is a stubborn, strong man, and he is fighting for his life. He has had several surgeries and is still in critical condition, but doing a little better. We would also like to thank San Francisco General Hospital and all the doctors that never left his side. They have exceeded anything we could have hoped for him.”

The accident occurred about 10 a.m. in the city’s Financial District. The back of the car where the man landed was smashed in, but the driver was not injured, police said.

The driver, Mohammad Alcozai, told KGO-TV that he was happy to be alive and praying that the worker survived.

He said the impact came shortly after he made a left turn, adding that his car’s roof almost completely collapsed in the accident.

Maa-Becca Tucker was walking past the crash when she saw the worker lying on the ground. She said he wasn’t moving.

Tucker described the scene as “crazy” and said a woman standing next to her was praying for the man as firefighters took him away in an ambulance.

Some witnesses said the man had been clinging to a rope, which could be seen dangling from the roof of the building.

The man worked for Century Window Cleaning, based in Concord, Calif., said Peter Melton, a spokesman for the state division of occupational safety and health.

The company was cited for one serious violation and three other violations in 2008, one of them related to instructing window-cleaning employees in the proper use of all equipment provided to them and supervising the use of the equipment and safety devices to ensure safe working practices, according to federal records.

The company was fined more than $6,500, though the fine was eventually reduced to a little more than $2,700.

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