Window-hopping Matthew Lehan, 22, fell almost 100 feet as he attempted to clamber down from a seventh-floor balcony because he had lost the keys to his own sixth-floor apartment.
The daft stunt would have resulted in certain death but for his good fortune in landing on a first-floor tin awning which broke his fall and prevented him smashing into the concrete floor below. Even so, Lehan was left sadder but wiser as he was rushed off by ambulance to spend Christmas at St Vincent’s Hospital suffering from two broken arms and some cuts and bruises to his face.
It is not clear whether Lehan had been drinking before the fall took place at around 1am on Christmas Day. His condition is understood to be satisfactory.
An Australian police spokesman told Nine News: “This man made a dangerous decision which resulted in serious injuries. It could have resulted in his death but thankfully it didn’t.”
The fall is the latest in a number of similar balcony-hopping incidents to take place in Sydney after people have locked themselves out. “People have got to realise it’s not worth the risk,” the police spokesman told News Corp Australia. “If you lock yourself out, call a locksmith. It may cost some money but it can save your life.”
