[Forum Admin]

SHOCKED customers enjoying breakfast at a McDonald's feared the worst when they saw a window cleaner fall almost 20 feet from the roof of the restaurant onto the ground.

But the 31-year-old man had a lucky escape and was later able to get up and walk away with only minor injuries following the incident at the drive through in Heron Gate, Taunton.

A customer who saw the incident and asked not to be named said: "I was fearing the worst - he fell from quite a height.

"Someone was shouting, 'Someone call an ambulance' and a McDonald's manager kept saying, 'Don't move him'.

"The man's colleague who had been up on the roof with him was in a really distressed state."

Customers rushed out of the restaurant on seeing the man fall onto the asphalt at about 9.45am on Tuesday and staff shut the drive through area near where he landed.

"It looked like they were cleaning the McDonald's sign on the roof and I couldn't see any safety gear," said the eyewitness.

"There was an almighty kerfuffle and people were really worried for him.

"But when the ambulance arrived he stood up and walked into it, so we knew it wasn't that bad."

A South Western Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called to Heron Gate at 9.43am to a 31-year-old man with back injuries.

"It turned out he had only minor injuries and was treated at the scene and did not need hospital treatment."

A McDonald's manager who would only give her name as Alison declined to comment.

[Nick Day]

Fortunately it sounds like the guy had a lucky escape!! I don't know about elsewhere in the country but in Norwich the franchisee now has the staff clean their windows.

[Matt.]

Blame falls with McDonald's manager, as there is no way these signs can be cleaned safely from a ladder access these arnt even accessible off the roof.

McDonald's uk ltd have a contract with a company in Leeds I can't think of the name to clean all there signage, the manager will have choose to use a window cleaner to save money, as this company does all the work from tower scaffolding and insist on drive thru closure.

[Arnold Palmer]

Blame falls with McDonald's manager,

You'd have thought McDs would be pretty strict on H&S especially with sub-contractors.

If the guy has a boss he'll probably be having a conversation with the HSE soon too.

[Tosh]

He should've gone to hospital. In the report it says there was "an almighty kerfuffle", I once knew someone who ended up in A&E for far less.

[Arnold Palmer]

He should've gone to hospital. In the report it says there was "an almighty kerfuffle", I once knew someone who ended up in A&E for far less.

I've seen people hospitalised for a minor brouhaha.

[jk999]

I saw some roofers walking up and down a roof without proper saftey gear sorry to say this but no one gets sympathy of me that doest take proper saftey measures

[andyM]

Blame falls with McDonald's manager,

You'd have thought McDs would be pretty strict on H&S especially with sub-contractors.

If the guy has a boss he'll probably be having a conversation with the HSE soon too.

I thought that too, until I saw a couple of scruffy blokes in a beaten up old Transit up on the roof of a McDonalds establishment pressure washing the roof with no safety equipment to be seen.
I'm not against anyone trying to make a living but I did think it looked rather unprofessional and was surprised.

[Dave Willis]

Burger me 

[Ian101]

kerching  ....... 25 grand fine from HSE to go no fries 

[Dave Willis]

Must have been a Mcflurry of activity when that happened.

[robbo333]

It wasn't 'Big Mac' that fell off, was it?

[Dave Willis]

Ronald someone. Scottish guy I think.

What a clown 

[Tosh]

I saw some roofers walking up and down a roof without proper saftey gear sorry to say this but no one gets sympathy of me that doest take proper saftey measures

Sympathy never helped anyone anyway.

[Smurf]

I was sat in a carpark  one day watching a guy pressure wash the roof at mc d at a retail park local to me. The chap was using a tower to get to the roof line and that is all he was using. Then started stomping about the roof pressure washer the tiles and signs as his lance was not long enough to reach.

What did make me laugh If that wasn't bad enough his mate moved the tower whilst he stood on the top of it. Best bit was it was on a slight incline and camber towards the road. How he managed to stop it falling off the curb still boggles me to this day.

[AuRavelling79]

He should've gone to hospital. In the report it says there was "an almighty kerfuffle", I once knew someone who ended up in A&E for far less.

I've seen people hospitalised for a minor brouhaha.

A hubbub can get you into the minor injuries unit these days.

[robbo333]

An Ooojameeflip can be very serious. 

[Clever Forum Name]

Bet he wasn't "lovin it"

[Smurf]

I blame the tight arse mc donalds franchisees myself for taking on these muppets

[Dave Willis]

He should've gone to hospital. In the report it says there was "an almighty kerfuffle", I once knew someone who ended up in A&E for far less.

Could have broken his leg-end.