Man impaled by metal railing after falling from window 'trying to escape police'

The IPCC could investigate the incident in south London

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after being impaled on a railing when he fell out of a window trying to escape police in south London.

The metal spike went through the 34-year-old's stomach when he landed on it from the third floor of the building. Firefighters had to cut him free.

His father told the Evening Standard that his son ran to the window when police officers arrived and tripped.

“I was holding on to him, so were the police for a while… then he just let go and fell,” he said.

Police said officers had visited the property, in Walworth, to carry out an arrest inquiry at about 2.30pm on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Following officers’ arrival, a 34-year-old man fell out of the window.”

He was taken to the major trauma centre at the Royal London Hospital, where injuries to his abdomen and thigh were thought to be life-threatening.

On Thursday he was still in a critical condition.

The Metropolitan Police’s Directorate of Professional Standards is investigating the incident and it has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

A spokesman for the IPCC said it is assessing the circumstances of the accident to see whether it needs to investigate.