Man left fighting for his life after sofa fell from West End hotel named

Injured: Alex Wright
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Hannah Al-Othman9 November 2015

A man who was left fighting for his life after a sofa fell from a luxury hotel building in the West End has been named.

Auction house worker Alex Wright, 23, was hit by the large piece of furniture when it fell from scaffolding outside the W Hotel off Leicester Square.

He was taken to hospital in a critical condition and reportedly put into an induced coma so that he could cope with the pain of his injuries.

Mr Wright, from Orpington in south-east London, works in the tax department of leading auction house Christie's, and graduated last summer with a degree in psychology from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Mr Wright's parents Martin and Christina are said to be keeping vigil at his bedside in hospital after the accident on the morning of October 30.

W Hotel: The sofa fell onto a busy street by the hotel

The sofa fell from the 'W Residences' penthouse, which costs almost £10,000 per month to rent and includes access to the hotel's facilities.

Knight Frank, which manages the Swiss Centre building where the W Hotel and Residences are located, is helping Westminster City Council with its investigation into how the sofa fell from the suite.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called at 08.54hrs on Friday, October 30, to reports of a pedestrian injured in Wardour Street.

"At this early stage it is believed he was injured by a piece of furniture which fell from scaffolding.

"The 23-year-old man taken to an east London hospital by London's Air Ambulance.

"His condition is critical but stable. City of Westminster Council take the lead in the investigation into the incident."

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