Man Has Face 'Ripped Off' By A Sofa

A witness said: "There were people cleaning the windows. A security guard at the hotel said they had put the sofa into the cradle, which was big enough for three men and it fell out."

Man's face 'ripped off' by sofa falling from luxury London hotel penthouse: A man reportedly had his 'face ripped off' in a horrifying incident that saw a sofa fall from a luxury London hotel penthouse. The man was walking past the W Hotel in Leicester Square when the sofa fell from scaffolding on one of the £9,533-a-month penthouses on the ninth floor. It is now believed the sofa had been put on a window cleaning cradle before it fell.

According to the Mirror, a witness said: "There were people cleaning the windows. A security guard at the hotel said they had put the sofa into the cradle, which was big enough for three men and it fell out." The witness added: "[The man] looked like his face had been ripped off." The victim was taken to hospital with a serious head injury, and is believed to be in a critical but stable condition.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called at 8.54am on Friday 30 October to reports of a pedestrian injured in Wardour Street W1. "At this early stage it is believed he was injured by a piece of furniture which fell from scaffolding. "The man aged in his 20s taken to an east London hospital by London's Air Ambulance. His condition is critical but stable."

A spokeswoman for Starwood Hotels, the parent group of W Hotels, said: "We are aware of an incident at the Swiss Centre which also houses W London Leicester Square. "The exact circumstances of this accident are still being investigated. "Our thoughts and prayers go to the gentleman concerned, who is being treated in hospital for his injuries." The spokesman said: "The man, aged in his twenties, was taken to an east London hospital by London's Air Ambulance "His condition is critical but stable. "The Health and Safety Executive has been informed."

The newspaper quoted one witness as saying: "[The man] looked like his face had been ripped off. "It was raining and where the drops were hitting his face it was making him scream in agony."

More Windows With No Maintenance Plan

More Windows With No Maintenance Plan

Pop-Out Windows Would Be a Terrifying Way to Add More Sun and Space to Your Apartment: These window options would fold out into niches and add sun seat to any small apartment. Architect and industrial designer Aldana Ferrer Garcia has created three pop-out window concepts in her More Sky line that provide an extra seat in any room. As an added bonus, popping a squat in your window sill will let you soak up some vitamin D in an otherwise sun-deprived apartment, at least if you're not afraid of heights.

The "hopper niche

The first design, called the "hopper niche," folds out of a window frame like an accordion, allowing the occupant to recline against the glass. Perfect for kicking back with a good book, this window-seat provides an extra recliner where one might not otherwise be possible. As long as you trust your well-being to the strength of the install. 

The "casement niche"

The "casement niche" is a simpler design, rotating out to provide a little spot for someone to sit in the window sill. It does take up a little space when rotated into the closed position though, and you have to cross your legs to fit inside at all.

The "awning niche"

The third design, the "awning niche" folds out for a wide base to lean on rather than sit. You can easily watch all the action below your apartment without leaning outside into the erratic weather and open air.

Aldana Ferrer Garcia's window module offers 'more sky' to city dwellers. Creative initiatives presented at the inaugural Dubai design week.

Aldana - off her rocker.

Of course, if you live in an apartment high off the street below, you have to wonder what exactly these nook windows are made of. Leaning your full weight onto a window pane is a whole different experience from a death-defying 15 stories off the ground. And speaking for all the window washers out there, these things look like a real pain to keep sparkly clean. All that, and they're just a concept, so no one is actually making these things. But while they're only an idea, and potentially a flawed one at that, they'd be  easily the best way to put a thrill-ride right in your apartment. 

Let DIYers Have A Go

We've all seen them, even tempted to buy & see if they are any good! They're cheap & crap.

Sandy’s Garden by Sandy Simpson: Early this year – in the very depth of winter, in point of fact – our regular window-cleaners stopped coming. We noticed, one cold, bright day, that the sunshine was illuminating just how grimy our windows were; and with that discovery, we realised that we had not seen our window cleaners for weeks. 

And we were unable to contact them, for the simple reason that they had initially rung our doorbell many years ago in the time when we still washed our own windows, asked if we would like them to do the work, quoted a very fair price and, having done the windows to our complete satisfaction, made us realise that they did a better job than we did in less than half the time. So we agreed that they would come approximately every fortnight and that we would pay them on the day, it being further agreed that, if we were not in when they called, they would leave a slip through the door and we would pay them the next time we saw them. No names were noted, no addresses, no telephone numbers; and the arrangement has worked admirably for decades.

In their absence, I decided that I would resume washing the windows myself and bought a telescopic window washing tool to reach the upstairs windows. And what brings this to mind is the delivery, with our Sunday newspaper, of a chirpy leaflet with numerous bargains in gardening tools and equipment, its front cover featuring two ladies in appropriate attire, one smilingly wielding a ‘9 foot Telescopic Hedge Trimmer’ and the other cheerfully using a ‘9 foot 5 inch Telescopic Angled Branch Lopper’. Ladies, I envy you your apparent strength, which would put the average Amazon to shame; and I hope I never cross swords with either of you, for I think you could break any of my limbs with the greatest of ease!

Perhaps it is my advancing years and corresponding physical decline, but I found my telescopic window washing tool more than a trifle unwieldy in anything more than its unextended mode. The seemingly-rigid handle became surprisingly-flexible and correspondingly difficult to control, its business end’s contact with the windows dangerously erratic, varying from hitting the glass sideways on to doing no more than leaning against it. Meanwhile, the liquid intended for cleaning the glazing ran down the handle and down the sleeves of my jacket as well as dripping into my eyes. 

But, since I was delighted to retire my telescopic window cleaning tool when my regular window cleaners reappeared from hibernation in the spring, I shall make do without any of them and shall settle for envying the women … and men, for the leaflet illustrates both genders using the tools … who still have the physical strength and dexterity to master these no doubt invaluable bits of kit.