The father of a Briton who plunged from a 15th floor apartment in New Zealand today said it was “a miracle” that he survived.
Tom Stilwell suffered multiple broken bones but escaped paralysis after falling from the high-rise tower block in Auckland.
The 20-year-old had been out drinking with friends when he knocked on a neighbour’s door to ask if he could climb over her balcony to get to his directly below as he had locked himself out.
But Mr Stilwell, from Brighton, fell 13 storeys on to a corrugated roof, before dropping to the ground.
He was rushed to the city’s hospital and under went emergency surgery, where he amazed medics who discovered he had not suffered any life-changing injuries.
His father David, who spoke to his son today, said he was doing well.
He told the Standard: “In the circumstances he is incredibly good. He has had an incredible, fortunate escape having fallen an enormous distance.
“‘Miracle’ is an over-used term, but it really was. It is very difficult to understand how he survived. We are all just very, very grateful.”
Mr Stilwell, who is on a working holiday, was expected to be moved out of intensive care into a general ward today. He was said to be in good spirits.
He suffered a number of broken bones and fractures, as well as a punctured lung.
His father said: “He has lots of injuries, many broken bones, but they are not life-threatening. It’s just incredible.”
His best friend, Dave Thomas, said although he had been out drinking, the incident was not typical behaviour.
“He’s normally the sensible one out of all of us,” adding: “He is absolutely fine. He’s a very lucky man.”
Geraldine Bautista, 28, who lives in the apartment from which Mr Stilwell fell, said he knocked on her door at 2am before climbing over the side.
She told the New Zealand Herald: “I never thought he would really do that.
“In my mind I thought: Okay, I’ll just let you see that it’s really impossible.
“I didn’t think he would jump, because it’s really scary.”
Describing the moment she realised he was falling, she said: “I grabbed his hand and then at that time ... he fell down.
“I thought I was dreaming. It happened so fast. It happened within seconds.
“I couldn’t even scream for help. He was like a paper falling from here.”
Dr Tony Smith, medical director for the St John Ambulance service, said surviving falls from such a height was “extraordinarily unusual”.
