Coroner Orders Sheffield Council To Take Action Following High Rise Deaths

[Irene Swaine]

A coroner has ordered Sheffield City Council (SCC) to take action after 2 people sadly fell to their deaths from high rise tower blocks in Upperthorpe & Netherthorpe. 

 

Concerns have been raised surrounding tower blocks across the city after a woman's death in December last year was found to be caused by falling from one of the council owned towers. Sheffield Council owns and operates housing blocks across the city, including at Upperthorpe, Netherthorpe, Herdings, Stannington and Hyde Park. 

 

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?photo_id=956388339274719

 

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What a tragic and avoidable way to die. It must be awful for their families. 

[cressida]

Very sad,  I don't mean bars across windows but can any other preventive measure be used?

[Resident]

46 minutes ago, cressida said:

Very sad,  I don't mean bars across windows but can any other preventive measure be used?

There has to be a point though when you have to consider how that person got to be in the position to fall from a high-rise. At some point you have to question personal responsibility,  they should have been smart enough to think 'hmm this is quite dangerous, I'll stop'

[Irene Swaine]

47 minutes ago, cressida said:

Very sad,  I don't mean bars across windows but can any other preventive measure be used?

Perhaps they could restrict how far the windows open. And places like Regent's court which have open balcony style corridors, even on the top floor could be made enclosed. 

 

The government also needs to take mental health more seriously. I have family who have been on the waiting list to see a therapist for months. Crippling energy prices and food prices in the supermarkets make life harder for people too, people get in debt and get stressed etc. It's very sad.

[peak4]

The Facebook comment has been deleted, but The Star's coverage is here;
https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/council/sheffield-council-tower-block-deaths-safety-concerns-after-woman-tragically-plummeted-to-death-in-martin-street-upperthorpe-4578603

 

 

[Pyrotequila]

Something about this doesn't quite add up to me.

I live in a tower block and all the windows were pre-installed with a restrictor that only allowed the window to open about a hands width... if you wanted the windows open fully you have to maually remove this restrictor, this is so that it is physically impossible to "acidentally" fall out of a window 🤔

[cressida]

1 hour ago, Resident said:

There has to be a point though when you have to consider how that person got to be in the position to fall from a high-rise. At some point you have to question personal responsibility,  they should have been smart enough to think 'hmm this is quite dangerous, I'll stop'

Risk of person using drugs/drinking too much.

[RollingJ]

When you consider how many people live in high-rise/tower blocks and how many 'fall' from them, you have consider the implications.

[GabrielC]

Sheffield has had and still does have a lot of high rise housing stock how common  are accidents ? I can only recall one accident at Park Hill the rest who fell were jumpers who wanted end it all .

[peak4]

22 minutes ago, GabrielC said:

Sheffield has had and still does have a lot of high rise housing stock how common  are accidents ? I can only recall one accident at Park Hill the rest who fell were jumpers who wanted end it all .

I appreciate in this case a hotel, rather than social housing, but I vividly remember this sad incident and the amount of trolls who came out wherever it was reported.
The hotel had previously been deemed unfit for refugees, and a subsequent inspection found more faulty window restraints.
I never did see the final inquest report.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9908311/Five-year-old-Afghan-refugee-falls-70ft-death-hotel-window-Sheffield.html