Worker Dies in Fall From High-Rise

Rich Kennerly, a window washer four weeks away from his wedding day, died Monday morning when an overhang gave way and he plunged 70 feet from the top of a downtown office building.

The fall ended a life full of promise. The 38-year-old Brea entrepreneur had a new fiancee, a new house in Huntington Beach and his own flourishing company.

“Things have been going well for him,” said his father, Richard Kennerly, from his home in Oceanside. “With the new house, and his fiancee, we had been looking forward to him getting married.”

The younger Kennerly arrived at work at 4 a.m. to join his employees in washing the windows at 207 S. Broadway. To prepare for the job, the boss was walking on an overhang on the top floor of the 10-story building when the ledge gave way.

Shawn Shelton, a building security guard, was on the phone when he fell. She watched as Kennerly’s body hit a concrete ledge between the second and third floors. He died instantly. “I’m a little shaken up right now,” Shelton said.

Firefighters said they could find no evidence that Kennerly had been wearing any kind of restraint to prevent a fall.

That surprised those who knew him. Blond and fit, Richard Curtis Kennerly II enjoyed risk, though he preferred the calculated variety. He took outdoor trips with friends from local singles clubs and a group called the Fun Addicts, but was often the camper reminding others to be careful. He owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He dreamed of a career as a Hollywood stuntman.

After graduating from Brea-Olinda High School in 1980, he initially took up window washing, he told friends, to save money before getting into the risky game of stunts. He found he liked working among the towers of the Wilshire district and Century City, and launched his own company before he turned 25. But, in spite of his youth, he managed it cautiously and kept it small.

“He liked the freedom of window washing,” said his sister Maureen Kennerly. “He liked having control of his own life . . . and he liked to look out for other people.”

His company’s safety record was unblemished.

AAA Window Cleaning, with 17 employees, has not been issued so much as a citation by state occupational safety and health officials, computer records show.

“That’s a good record,” said Dean Fryer, spokesman for the state Department of Industrial Relations, which has begun an investigation. Added Los Angeles Fire Capt. Steve Ruda: “The tragedy of it was that he was a veteran. This is a warning to others in the industry that even if you’re a careful person, all it takes is a moment’s lapse for everything to change.”

The accident shut down Broadway for blocks and snarled downtown traffic for much of the morning rush hour.

On the sidewalk, stunned co-workers wandered around. The company, they said, probably will continue under the management of Kennerly’s cousin, though it will not be the same.

“He was the best boss I’ve ever had,” said Gustavo Cortes.

Nearby, Rafael Carlos, who had worked with Kennerly since 1984, said his boss “always talked about safety, not just for himself, but for his employees.” Kennerly, he said, “never pushed people around. He always asked for your opinions.”

The boss, Carlos added, had been ecstatic about his engagement. He and his fiancee, identified by family members as Jeanette Glavinick, had been dating for about 18 months after meeting through a singles club, friends said. Their wedding was set for Aug. 12 at the Huntington Harbour Yacht Club.

“His life was changing,” said his sister Stacie. “It was going to be a big wedding, with lots of family.”