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Man Survives 39-Story Fall After Landing On Parked Car
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 1, 2010
Modified Sep 1, 2010
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right; photo by Jen Chung
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 1, 2010
Modified Sep 1, 2010
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Yesterday morning, a man jumped from the roof of a 40-floor building on West End Avenue—and survived because a red Dodge Charger parked on a dead end apparently cushioned his fall. The Daily News reports that 22-year-old Thomas Magill was screaming, "My leg! My leg!" A witness told the paper, "He came down feetfirst at like 100 mph. That's a miracle if I've ever seen one. He should be a goner. It was like that movie 'Unbreakable.' That was this guy: unbreakable." And the car's owner, construction worker Guy McCormack, pulled out a set of rosary beads from his car, "Here's what saved him!"
The incident occurred at 75 West End Avenue. The Post reports, "Magill, who lives on West 52nd Street, used to rent an apartment in the West End Towers until graduating from Fordham University last year. Residents said lobby security is lax, and guests are rarely required to sign a visitor's log."
Magill is in critical condition, with two broken legs. When he landed—breaking the windshield—a witness described him as looking like a "pretzel" (the Post estimates he was falling at 126 mph). His shoes were also knocked off by the impact. It's suspected this might have been a suicide attempt; the News notes that his Facebook page said, "I hate my life," and "Under the category 'bio,' he posted, 'I'm over it,' and he listed 'being mean' and 'making fun of people' as interests."
Tagged
Dodge Charger
fall
fordham
miracle
Tom Magill
West End Avenue
West End Towers
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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