A man was crushed to death by a urinal in the heart of central London’s theatre district on Friday January 27th 2023.
The man was crushed below street level while working on a telescopic urinal in the busy intersection of Cambridge Circus, located at the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road near Leicester Square.
The emergency services were notified of the incident at approximately 1pm and a rescue operation was immediately initiated.
An ambulance crew, members of the hazardous area response team, a tactical response unit, and London’s air ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
After nearly two hours, the trapped man was freed using a winch.
Despite the best efforts of the rescue crews, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesperson for the London ambulance service confirmed the news.
The Metropolitan Police force had earlier stated that the man was thought to have sustained crush injuries while working on the telescopic urinal.
Telescopic urinals, also known as open-air public urinals, have been a part of London’s streetscape for over a decade.
These retractable urinals are stored below ground during the day and raised at night to serve the city’s entertainment districts.
