AUSTIN, TEXAS Two glass panels fell more than 20 stories from balconies of unoccupied units at W Austin Hotel & Residences, injuring four people when the glass landed in the hotel’s pool area.
It is unclear what caused the panels, located on the 24th and 25th floors, to fall on the evening of June 10. Hotel officials have assigned engineers to investigate the incident, and the pool area remains closed until further notice.
The victims were treated for cuts and other injuries. “It was not packed, but there were a fair amount of guests at the pool,” General Manager Drew McQuade tells Austin American-Statesman. “We feel fortunate that there were not more people injured.”
The accident comes at a particularly unfortunate time for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. On May 28, a woman was killed and her friend seriously injured after windows gave out at W Atlanta Midtown. LaShawna Threatt, 30, fell out of her 10th-floor guestroom to her death, sparking a pair of lawsuits filed by her family.
While the casuses of both accidents remain undetermined, a Starwood spokeswoman emphasizes that the two incidents are unrelated.