DENVER -- As two window washers dangled from a Denver high rise, a lot of people saw what happened and called it in.

Most of the 911 calls from witnesses were surprisingly calm. But so many calls came in with such bated breath that it was obvious that the biggest concern for the callers was that the window washers hang on as long as they could.

"I was expecting to see two people die," said witness Bret McDermott. "A lot of the women in my department were turning their heads and screaming, praying to God that wouldn't happen."

Witnesses saw the two window washers hanging on for their lives as the moving platform was tossed in the air over and over again. They said that the platform looked like it was about to break.

Almost immediately, Denver's 911 center was flooded with calls.

"I work at a building and the building north of me on the corner of 18th and Arapahoe ... There are some window washers that are hanging down. Ummm, it appears their lead line has been tangled," said one 911 caller.

The platform swung wildly back and forth and around, smashing windows on the Denver Place Plaza Tower, located at 1099 18th St.

Strong winds blew the shattered glass all over the streets, leaving a mess and putting people in danger below.

The two window washers, Hector Esterdo and Oscar Gonzales, were eventually rescued. Firefighters got to the 12th floor and had to break a window to pull the men to safety.

They used a rope to pull one end of the platform toward the building; then slowly Esterdo and Gonzales stepped inside.

"When we got there, it wasn't moving at all. It was just sitting against a building because I actually looked up as we got off the elevator. Then seeing that thing fly all over, everything changed. Until we got the men out, it was probably about a minute of chaos. Yeah, it was just that fast," said Denver firefighter Dallas Sherman.

"All the stars had to be aligned for us. It was a one-shot deal. If we weren't there at that time and that platform hadn't hit that window, it could've been a lot worse for us and for them," said Denver Fire Lt. Scott Lang. "They didn't say anything but their eyes were huge. They had a definite look in their eyes. They were shaken."

7NEWS spoke with Esterdo's wife over the phone. She said when her husband and Gonzales decided to wash the windows, the wind wasn't that strong. She said had they known that was going to change, they wouldn't have worked Wednesday.

As frightening as the scene was to watch, some people are just now realizing how lucky they were as the broken glass shards from the windows dropped 12 stories.

One man wasn't hurt, but said he went inside the Denver Place Plaza Tower building just minutes before the glass walls came tumbling down onto his car.

His red 1988 Oldsmobile was completely pelted.

"Some people say it looks like a hailstorm. But a pretty major hailstorm," said Don Michael, describing his car.

Michael was on a sales call when he heard firefighters warn people not to walk out the 18th Street door.

"I thought to myself, 'What does that mean?'" he said.

That meant his earlier good fortune had turned bad.

"I was so psyched because I had the best parking place," said Michael, smiling.

His car's two largest windows were destroyed. Insurance will cover those repairs, but the car may be totaled because of its extensive dents, scrapes, and dings.

"At least, I wasn't walking to the car, I wasn't in the car," said Michael.

He didn't get to retrieve his car until Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration is still investigating the cause. It could be up to a month before they find out exactly what happened.