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Two Firms Found Guilty Over Man Killed by Falling Window
Two construction companies have been found guilty of health and safety breaches over the death of a man who was struck and killed by a falling window from a luxury apartment building in London.
The victim, Mick Ferris, a 53-year-old coach driver, died on October 2, 2018, when a 130-kilogram (287-pound) glass window fell around 90 meters (295 feet) from the penthouse of The Corniche development on Albert Embankment and hit him on the street below. He died instantly.
Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, the jury found:
- St James, the project’s developer/manager, guilty of health and safety offences.
- Lindner Prater, the engineering and façade contractor, guilty of health and safety offences.
- Foster + Partners, the building’s architects, not guilty.
- Wintech, the design engineering firm, not guilty.
During the trial, prosecutors said the danger was foreseeable because another window panel had fallen from the same development in 2017, but no fundamental redesign was carried out. The prosecution argued that the outward-opening window design and the removal of a safety restrictor created an unacceptable risk to the public.