Willis Tower 'The Ledge' Cracks And Shatters During Family Visit Wednesday Night [UPDATE]

By Lisa White in News on May 29, 2014 2:40PM

[UPDATE, 10:20 a.m.] NBC Chicago has received a response from Willis Tower and have updated their story with the following information: "A spokesman for Willis Tower said that what cracked was a protective coating on the glass structure and not the glass itself. "This coating does not affect the structural integrity of The Ledge in any way. Occasionally, the coating will crack, as it is designed to in order to protect the surface of the glass," said Brian Rehme."

The attraction is still open today with the cracked portion covered with a piece of carpet.

Never say never, Willis Tower Skydeck. A California family visiting the popular tourist attraction The Ledge on Wednesday night experienced what for many would be nightmare fuel when the glass box they were standing in started cracking and shattered, 103 floors above ground level.

The Ledge, which opened in 2009, consists of four glass enclosures composed of three layers of half-inch thick glass that hang out over the building and were built to hold five tons. Alejandro Garibay, who was on the deck with his brother and two cousins, told NBC Chicago they were joking with employees before entering about how strong the boxes were. Garibay said the staff "jokingly and confidently responded 'It's unbreakable,' so we just went on." While inside one of the four boxes, Garibay heard cracking, his family stepped out (we would have run like hell) and told staff members, who quickly responded.

Garibay told NBC Chicago:

"I walked them over so they could see and they were totally shocked and asked us to step away and then proceeded to start calling staff and techs and I don't know who else. When we pulled our phones to start recording and take pictures they asked us to leave right away."

We'd venture a guess whoever built the boxes obviously didn't want something like this to happen, but logically tested to make sure that if one layer did break, it would still safely hold people. We're also guessing the insurance company that approved Willis Tower to add this attraction also made sure to cover their ass if something like this would happen. Meanwhile we'll stick to drinking overpriced cocktails a few blocks away at the John Hancock building and let the tourists continue to tempt fate in the future.