A LUXURY firm built a tower block with a flaw that led to a window pane falling and crushing a man to death from 250ft, a court has heard.
Mick Ferris was killed when a window fell 25 storeys from the penthouse of The Corniche – a tower block on London’s Embankment in October 2018.
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Mick Ferris was killed when a window pane fell from a tower block in London Credit: MICK FERRIS/FACEBOOK
The window, weighing 130kg, fell 25 storeys from the penthouse of The Corniche Credit: PA:Press Association
West Ham fan Mick, who was a driver for Clarkes Of London, was returning to his coach on the opposite side of the road when the horror unfolded.
He died instantly when the window pane, weighing 130kg and measuring 95cm wide and 190cm tall, crashed to the pavement from above.
A trial at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday heard how another window pane had fallen from the building previously in August 2017 but “miraculously no-one was killed or injured”, reports the BBC.
Foster + Partners, the architects responsible for The Corniche development, have been charged with “failing to discharge a duty” under section one of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
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Ferris died instantly when the window crashed to the pavement from above Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
The architects behind the building are now in court charged with ‘failing to discharge a duty’ Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
Three other companies, Lindner Prater Ltd, Wintech Ltd and St James Group Ltd, who were also involved in the development, are facing the same charge.
They are accused of exposing people, including Mick, to a health and safety risk, specifically, “from the outward opening penthouse window vents”.
Gordon Menzies, prosecuting, told the court on Tuesday: “Originally these windows had been designed to open inwards, an approach that the pros say is safe and simple – however the design was changed from inward opening to outward opening.
“The prosecution’s case is that the final design of these windows was not safe, and because of the design there was a serious risk that a gust of wind could prise them off their hinges.”
The court heard how the windows were only held in place by a single metal “restrictor”.
“It had no effective failsafe, no reliable backup, there were many things that could go wrong with the restrictors and if they did, consequences could be catastrophic,” Menzies added.
The first warning sign, when a window pane fell from the building in 2017, did not prompt developers to “go back to the drawing board”.
The jury were also told that an email was sent to Foster + Partners following the incident raised concerns about it happening again in the future.
Menzies said that construction workers were told “not to open the windows at all” with written warnings placed next to the windows for residents.
He added that developers had hoped “residents would not forget to close their windows”.
Following Ferris’ death, the design of the windows was changed to inward, rather than outward, facing windows.
A colleague described the much-loved driver as a “lovely bloke” and said his sudden death was “tragic.”
Ferris’ son, Daniel, posted a tribute to Facebook following the death of his father which said: “Yesterday my family were shocked by the news that my dad’s been killed suddenly in London.
“Heartbroken isn’t the word to describe how myself and the family feel. I love you so much dad and I’ll think about you every day. My life long idol.
“Always in my heart and mind. Now that you’re gone West Ham are gonna pull it out the bag and win every match of the season just you watch.”
The Corniche is listed as an “exclusive riverside address” made up of 252 two, three, and four-bedroom apartments which overlook a number of London landmarks.
Designed by Foster + Partners, the company responsible for The Gherkin, properties are priced between £2.7 million and £6.25 million.
The trial continues.
