What to do if…
a windowpane is badly cracked or broken and may fall or leave the home unsecured

What to do now

1. Move to a room away from the window. Keep people and pets clear of the inside area and any outdoor area where glass could land.
2. Keep the affected room closed off. Close its interior door only if you can do so without going near the pane, and do not slam it.
3. If someone may be inside unlawfully, a person is threatening you, anyone has a serious injury, or falling glass poses an immediate danger to people, move to a safer place and call 911.
4. Look only from a safe distance. Note whether glass is falling, bowing out of the frame, missing entirely, or exposed at sharp edges. Do not test whether it is loose.
5. Call an emergency glass repair or board-up service. Tell them that the pane may fall, whether it is above ground level, whether the opening is accessible from outside, and whether the frame also appears damaged.
6. If you rent, contact the landlord, property manager, or emergency maintenance line now. Send a brief written follow-up and, only from a safe position, a photograph of the damage.
7. If the home cannot be secured, lock the other exterior doors and windows without approaching the damaged area. Take essential items such as your phone, keys, medication, and identification, then stay somewhere safer until the opening has been secured.
8. If the damage may have resulted from a crime that is no longer in progress and there is no immediate danger, use the published non-emergency contact route for your local police department.
9. If someone has been cut, first move them away from the glass. Apply firm direct pressure with clean gauze or cloth if it is safe to do so, and call 911 for severe or continuous bleeding.
10. Before temporary work begins, take photographs from a safe position. Keep messages, invoices, and receipts, and contact your insurer promptly if you may make a claim.