Stephen Fry sues tech conference organisers for £100,000 after falling six feet from stage
The broadcaster broke his leg, hip, pelvis and ribs in the accident
Sir Stephen Fry has sued the organisers of the tech conference where he fell six feet off stage and broke his leg, hip and ribs.
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The author and broadcaster, 68, is seeking up to £100,000 in personal injury damages from the AI and tech festival CogX after the accident in September 2023 at the O2 Arena in London.
Sir Stephen said he broke his "right leg in a couple of places, hip, pelvis in four places and a bunch of ribs" in the accident at the £495-a-ticket festival.
"I did my bow after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn't realise that I was walking off the part of the stage where there was nothing - just a 6ft drop onto concrete," he added.
The incident forced the actor to take three months off work, potentially costing him tens of thousands of pounds in lost earnings.
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Sir Stephen said at the time that he "praised my lucky stars" he did not injure his spine or skull in the fall.
Court documents filed on his behalf said: "The Claimant brings a claim for damages for personal injuries sustained on 14 September 2023 at the O2 Arena, London, whilst attending the CogX Festival where he had been engaged to deliver a talk on Artificial Intelligence.
"After concluding his presentation and whilst exiting the stage backstage area, the Claimant fell approximately two metres from the stage to the concrete floor below.
"The incident was caused by the negligence and/or breach of statutory duty of the Defendants, its servants or agents, in failing to ensure that the stage and backstage area were safe, adequately lit and properly protected to prevent a fall from height."
In response, a spokesperson for CogX Festival Ltd said: "We are unable to comment while the legal process is ongoing, but we were all deeply concerned when Stephen had the accident after giving his incredible speech on the Impact of AI, and we continue to send him our best wishes for a full recovery."
Sir Stephen's lawyer, Keith Barrett, said: "It's very unfortunate that court proceedings were necessary, but the Defendants do not accept Sir Stephen's account of events, and we have had to ask the court to determine who is responsible for his injury and losses."