Man survives fall from 15th floor
Tom Stilwell fell from the 15th floor of an apartment building and survived. (Photo: The New Zealand Herald)
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- A 20-year-old man who had been drinking survived a fall from the 15th floor of an apartment building and is expected to make a full recovery, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Tom Stilwell, a British citizen who was in New Zealand on a working holiday, was listed in satisfactory condition early Monday in the intensive care unit at Auckland City Hospital, the newspaper said.
After drinking with friends, Stilwell returned to his 14th floor apartment Sunday night only to find he was locked out, the Herald said. He woke the occupant of the apartment directly above his and asked if he could lower himself down from her balcony onto his balcony.
During his scaling attempt, Stilwell lost his grip and looked “like a paper falling,” the 15th-floor neighbor told the Herald.
Stilwell, who plummeted about 13 stories before landing on a roof of an adjacent building, sustained neck and back fractures and suspected internal injuries. But he is expected to make a full recovery.