Scotland - After surviving a 150-ft fall while rock climbing, 51-year-old Mark Phillps died after falling from the helicopter that came to rescue him.
Phillips was with a friend climbing Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands when he fell, suffering serious head injuries. The Sea King, a rescue helicopter based at RAF Lossiemouth, was dispatched to retrieve Phillips and transport him to the hospital.
As he was being winched up into the helicopter, Phillips was killed after he was dropped. No word on exactly what went wrong, but reports speculate that Phillips plunged hundreds of feet to his death after a safety line was severed before he was securely on board the helicopter.
“We sent a team of 18 and used every asset available. Accidents do happen and are going to happen. All it needs is one mistake and in a split second you are gone,” said John Stevenson, the leader of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team who was at the scene.
The Sea King was ordered to stand down and a navy helicopter from HMS Gannet at Prestwick collected Mark Phillips’s body. Phillips’ wife said in a statement released through the police force that she had noted speculation surrounding her husband’s death, stating: “I have entire confidence in the police and the process and I do not want to indulge such speculation.”
She went on to pay tribute to her husband saying, “On 25 February my beloved husband, Mark, was enjoying the superb conditions the Scottish Highlands were affording. He had spent the previous few days climbing and walking in the hills with friends.…
Continue ReadingMother Charged With Murder After 7-Month-Old Falls From Window
September 9, 2012 at 10:10 am by Lizard
SAN DIEGO – At a bit after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, a woman walking down an alley near the Park View Apartments complex probably had the contents of her nightmares altered forever: she spotted something odd on the ground, and when she moved closer, she realized it was an infant.
It appeared that the little boy had fallen from one of the complex’s windows. She immediately called authorities, who discovered, upon arriving, that the child was severely injured. (Odd how falls from a significant height seem to affect infants that way.) Medics performed CPR and transported the boy to the hospital, but the little guy didn’t make it to 6:00 p.m.
Currently, there are more questions than answers on this case, but let me share what we do seem to know: (1) The infant’s injuries were caused by a fall from a 3rd-story window. (2) The police initially detained the boy’s 33-year-old mother for questioning but have since arrested her and are now investigating the death as a homicide; they indicate she will be charged with first-degree murder. (3) The mother, who goes by the brain-bending and seemingly unlikely name of Zewoinesh Badasso, is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.…
Continue ReadingTeen Dies After Falling From Balcony During Underage Drinking Party
September 5, 2012 at 3:26 pm by Morbid
Indianapolis, IN – Police in Indiana say a teenager fell to his death while trying to climb from one balcony to another during an underage drinking party at an apartment complex near the IUPUI campus.
At around 3 a.m. Monday morning, police were called to The Avenue Apartments after receiving calls about a loud party going on inside one of the apartments. When they knocked on the door of the apartment, they were greeted by someone telling them someone inside had just fell from the fifth floor balcony.
Police went back down to the first floor where they found 18-year-old Xavier Somerville unconscious on the sidewalk. Turns out Somerville got scared when police arrived at the door and had tried escaping by swinging from the fifth floor balcony to a fourth floor balcony, but lost his grip and fell.
“I saw him on the floor. I saw blood…his face was down…I saw blood on his face. I was just trying to be like, ‘Xavier, Xavier.’ I just kept breaking down more and more,” said one of Somerville’s friends who was at the party.…
Continue ReadingFamily Of Woman Who Died Sliding Down Hotel Banister File Lawsuit
July 27, 2012 at 10:48 am by Morbid
Chicago, IL – Two years ago we reported on the death of Megan Duskey. She was the 23-year-old special education teacher who tried sliding down a stair’s banister during a Halloween party and plunged four stories to her death.
Now it is being reported that her family is suing the hotel.
James and Deborah Duskey have filed a lawsuit against Hilton Worldwide, the Palmer House Hilton, Surreal Chicago and Adrenaline Y2K, claiming their combined negligence was the cause of their daughter’s death.
They allege the named parties allowed party-goers to drink unlimited amounts of alcohol and failed to provide proper security to protect the drunks…from themselves?
Duskey was one of around 2,000 people who attended the Haunted Hotel Ball at Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton in 2010. She had arrived dressed as Silk Spectre from The Watchman comics (rawr) and had only been there for around 30 minutes when she attempted to slide down a banister on the hotel’s mezzanine level.
Unfortunately, she lost her balance and fell four stories to the basement level.…
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - A burglar was found dead inside a home on Thursday, after having fallen down a flight of stairs.
The home was empty and undergoing renovations when a painter arrived to work Thursday morning. Once inside he found broken glass and signs of a break-in.
The painter decided he would check out the vacant house by himself and see if he could find the person(s) responsible. Just kidding, this painter isn’t a moron. He immediately backed the hell out and called the homeowner, who then called 911.
Police arrived at the home shortly after and performed a sweep inside. There, at the foot of the basement stairs, they found the dead body of 52-year-old Robert Edward Powell.
Burglars often target vacant homes like this because often there are appliances, fixtures or copper to be had. This home did not have any appliances or fixtures, but it did have copper. This looks like the item Powell had been after as some of it was found in the dead man’s back pocket.…
Continue ReadingTeen With Down Syndrome Dies After 46-Story Fall Down Trash Chute
February 22, 2012 at 8:57 am by Morbid
Chicago, IL – Here’s a sad one to start off the day. A 17-year-old boy with Down syndrome died the other night after he climbed into a high-rise trash chute and plunged 46-stories to his death.
Charles Manley’s parents woke up when an alarm system went off alerting them that he had walked out of their apartment on the 46th floor. When they were unable to find him, they called 911 for help.
Investigators would end up finding Manley on the ground floor in the building’s trash compactor. The teen had opened the door to the trash chute on his floor, climbed in and then fell to his death.
On Tuesday, the medical examiner concluded Manley had died from multiple injuries resulting from the plunge. Investigators are now trying to figure out how Manley was able to into the chute. Residents say the chutes are 4-ft off the floor, about 1 1/2-feet square and do have a door covering the opening.
Manley was well-known in the building, often out talking to the other residents.…
Continue ReadingToddler Falls From Roof, Mother Asks Bystander To ‘Throw Her Back Up’
December 19, 2011 at 7:28 am by kniption
LaPorte, IN — Tonya Torres, 20, is in custody after orchestrating a rooftop playdate for her two toddlers and a dog. It did not go so smoothly.
On November 25, police reported that a witness saw a 2-year-old girl, her 3-year-old brother and a dog on the roof of a house in town. The witness then saw the girl fall from the roof and land on concrete steps below. A man reportedly rushed to the child’s aid, scooping her up. According to court documents, Torres came out on the roof and, after seeing that the girl had fallen to the ground, asked the man holding her to ‘throw her back up.’
Oddly, the man refused – reportedly necessitating that Torres hump her ass down the stairs to retrieve the girl. The girl was reportedly taken to the hospital where she, thankfully, was found to have no injuries.
The lack of injuries may seem miraculous. Perhaps a bit of background is in order…
Police were called early last year when, according to court documents, the boy showed up at the hospital having ingested an oxycodone pill.…
Continue ReadingWoman Charged With Murder After Pushing Husband Out High-Rise Window
June 9, 2011 at 3:50 am by Morbid
TULSA, Oklahoma – The wife of the man who was killed after falling out of a 25th-floor window has now been charged with his murder.
Police have charged 19-year-old Amber Hilberling with first-degree murder in the death of her husband, 23-year-old Joshua Hilberling. He was killed after falling out of the couple’s University Tower apartment and plunging 17 stories before being stopped by a parking garage.
According to the arrest report, Amber told officers that during an argument with her husband, she pushed him out the window. ”There was some sort of argument, it was brief, and then the crashing of the window and the gentleman fell out of the window,” Tulsa Police Sergeant Dave Walker said
Sounds like Amber has quite the temper. According to court documents, Joshua filed an emergency protective order against her in May, saying she had brained him so hard with a lamp that he had to get staples and stitches. He also stated she had been violent toward him several other times in the past including busting his head against a wall, and busting his lip.…
Continue ReadingOne Student Dead, Another Injured After Jumping From First-Floor Dorm Window
May 4, 2011 at 9:23 am by Morbid
SAN MARCOS, TX — I may be assuming a bit when I say that there’s a big possibility alcohol was involved with three people deciding to jump from a first-floor window of a Texas State University dorm. A decision that cost one their life and seriously injured another.
For reasons unknown, 24-year-old Eirin Hicks, 19-year-old Kristin McCreery and an unidentified male jumped from the Laurel Hall dormitory window early Tuesday morning. Both Hicks and McCreery were injured in the fall.
Hicks was taken to the hospital in critical condition suffering from head injuries and would die later that day. McCreery was also taken to the hospital suffering from back injuries and was listed in fair condition. The male was not hurt.
Police say there was a small gathering at the dorm and they had been called out there earlier on a noise complaint, but do not feel the three jumped out of the window to avoid police.
…
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Houston, TX — On the last day of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, 46-year-old Brian Greenhouse fell to his death from the “Hi-Miler” roller coaster.
Reports are that around 9 pm, riders were at the coaster’s midway point traveling about 9 miles an hour before a drop. Greenhouse was in the first car and for reasons unknown, fell from a height of about 28-feet, landing on a person on the ground. CPR was administered on Greenhouse by medical personnel, but he would die from his injuries. The person he fell on suffered a broken ankle.
Inspectors have been out to check the ride and they are unable to find anything wrong with it. Unlike Lindsay Zebo, the 21-year-old who was killed after being ejected from a roller coaster last year, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of a mechanical malfunction. “They examined the car that this gentleman came out of. The lap restraint was still totally down. The bar was still totally down. They inspected it thoroughly and found no malfunction of this thing and then they inspected every other car and found no malfunction,” HLSR chief operating officer Leroy Shafer said.…
Continue Reading‘America’s Got Talent’ Contestant Offering Reward In Wife’s “Murder”
December 23, 2010 at 12:08 pm by Morbid
LOS ANGELES, CA – Remember that Joe Finley guy from a couple months back? He’s the “America’s Got Talent” contestant who auditioned for the show immediately after learning that his wife was dead at the bottom of a hotel stairwell. He’s now offering $250,000 for any information leading to a conviction in his wife’s “murder.” That’s in quotes because the Los Angeles police still have the case open, even stating the death could have been an accident. Personally, I think the entire thing looks suspicious, especially Finley’s account of the last time he saw his wife alive. Laura Finley, 48, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. She and Joe partied that night and returned to their hotel room. Finley says 3 a.m., Laura came back in the room from getting ice saying something had happened at the ice machine. Joe says she went into the bathroom and he fell asleep, never asking what had happened. When he got up at 6 a.m., Laure was nowhere to be found but he went ahead and prepared for his audition.…
Continue ReadingMissing Teen Found Dead Possibly Fell Out Of Plane’s Wheel Well
November 23, 2010 at 1:49 pm by Morbid
Charlotte, NC — A teenager from Charlotte, North Carolina was reported missing last week and then found dead later that same day in Massachusetts may have fallen out of an airplane’s wheel well. Delvonte Tisdale moved from Baltimore to Charlotte to live with his father. He was a student at North Mecklenburg High School, a member of the school’s Air Force Jr. ROTC program and by all accounts, hated living in Charlotte. When he was reported missing by his father on Nov 14th, they figured he had run away like he had before. Hours later, on the 15th, a mangled body was discovered hundreds of miles away on the front lawn of an upscale home in Milton. The body was not wearing a shirt or shoes and was so badly mutilated that cause of death and immediate identification were impossible. The only clue was a handwritten note in a pocket that appeared to be a lunch pass with Tisdale’s name on it. Using fingerprints, investigators were able to determine it was in fact the missing teen.…
Continue ReadingPolice Investigate Death Of Toddler Who Fell From Staples Center Skybox
November 22, 2010 at 4:07 pm by Morbid
Los Angeles, CA – I was gonna wait to see if the parents of the toddler who fell five stories to his death were going to be charged before posting this, but it’s a slow news day. Shortly after the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center last night, 2-year-old Lucas Anthony Tang and member of his family were enjoying their time in their luxury sky box situated among the highest row of suites in the arena. His parents were looking at some digital photos they had just taken when they realized that Tang was no longer in the box with them. They, along with his 11-year-old sister, began looking for him only to find that Tang had managed to crawl over the glass safety barrier and had plunged 50-feet to the seating below. He would be rushed to the hospital but would die that night from severe head injuries. Police are now investigating, the case handed over to the juvenile division. A police spokeswoman said the investigation was standard in the death of a child and did not necessarily mean charges were currently being considered.…
Continue ReadingElderly Woman Dies After Stranger Pushes Her Onto Tracks Of LA Metro
November 16, 2010 at 10:26 am by Morbid
Los Angeles, CA – Mary and Betty Sugiyama, both in their 80s, had planned to spend Sunday doing what they love most — shopping. They had planned to pick up items at Walmart and Nordstrom Rack in Long Beach and didn’t want to miss their train that had just arrived into the Little Tokyo station. As they were rushing to board the train, the sisters noticed a woman sitting alone on a bench near the tracks. As they went passed her, she suddenly jumped up and shouted something before pushing Betty off the platform and onto the tracks. Mary said she heard her sister’s skull crack and then watched as the woman, dressed in all black, sit back down without uttering a word. Betty would be rushed to the hospital, but died from her injuries on Sunday night. When police arrived at the scene, they found Jackkqueline Pogue, 44, still on the platform. She was taken into custody and charged with attempted murder. As I type this out there is still no motive in the attack, but I am guessing Pogue ain’t right in the head.…
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Chicago, IL – More Halloween tragedy with this story out of Chicago where a young lady made the unfortunate decision to slide down a hotel’s banister and plunged around four stories to her death.
Megan Duskey was a 23-year-old special education teacher who was attending the Haunted Hotel Ball at Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton Saturday night dressed as Silk Spectre from THE WATCHMEN. For reasons not reported, but probably because she was 23 and having fun, Duskey attempted slide down a banister on the hotel’s mezzanine level and lost her balance. She would be killed instantly after falling four stories to the basement level.
Duskey’s family released the following statement:
“Megan’s passing is a tragic loss to her family and friends. She was a caring, energetic person who was full of life and eager to help others and make a difference in the world.”
I feel for the family and reading stories like this make me reflect back on all the dumb shit I did in my 20s, amazed I even survived them and scared shitless thinking of my teenagers.…
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NEW YORK - The The 17-year-old daughter of of the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand fell to her death from the 25th floor of the Herald Towers Friday morning. Nicole John was pronounced dead at the scene after being found on a third-floor ledge of the building with severe trauma to her body. Investigators say Nicole was attending a party on the 25th floor with her friends after having just left a club. An investigation is underway, but witnesses say the group was heavily intoxicated and Nicole may have been leaning out of the high-rise’s window for fresh air when she fell over the edge. Ilan Nassimi, 25, was hosting the late night party and was charged with unlawful dealing with a child for supplying alcohol to someone under the age of 21. With any luck, she passed out before falling. According to the ambassador’s website, Nicole attended high school in Bangkok, but had returned to new York to attend college where she was planning to major in fine arts.…
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BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – In one month, Mall of America has been the scene of three falling deaths. Two of these deaths involved falls from the mall’s parking garage. The third happened inside the mall on Wednesday when 21-year-old Dakota Rey Kohler-Lander climbed over the 4th story railing of the rotunda and fell (or jumped). Police were approaching him after responding to a report of a man with a knife. He was alive after the plunge, with a faint pulse, but died at the hospital from multiple blunt injuries. Why Dakota did this is currently unknown, but it is being reported he missed a court date that day to face one count of rape in the third degree. This charge stems from allegedly having consensual sex with a 16-year-old girl. The parents of this man sure are getting shit on – last June, Dakota’s 17-year-old twin brothers were killed in an ATV accident. On Father’s Day no less.…
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PALM BEACH, Fla – Alla Kournikova faces one count of third-degree child neglect after leaving her 5-year-old son alone while she went out to run errands. While she was gone, the boy jumped or fell from a second-story window. A 911 caller reported that Allen was soaking wet and injured. Allen said he jumped from the window and injured his feet and back when he landed in a crush stone walkway. He was wet because he went into the family pool because his feet hurt. Police called Alla on her cell phone and left a message. She arrived at the home a short time later. She told police she left the boy there because he did not want to go with her. In this article, it states that the house was not only locked from the outside but also the inside. the windows were painted shut as well.…
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UK – We’ve all seen it before in movies or television. The loved one running alongside a departing train blowing kisses or waving at someone inside staring back at them through a window. How nice. But in the case of 16-year-old Megan Moore, this innocent act turned horrific. She had gotten off the train, and as it was leaving, she began running beside it tapping on the window waving goodbye to her friends. She was wearing high-heels and slipped into the gap between the train and the platform. The train stopped immediately, but it was too late. Her friends have set up a memorial Facebook Page for her.…
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I am doing something a little different here, because as of right now, no crime seems to have been committed.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Kelly Ann Jones, 19, was a University of Miami freshman. She died Sunday morning after falling from a campus balcony. She was alive after she fell, talking incoherently and only able to move her arms. She was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The reason why I am posting this? Some witness statements on what they heard before the first 911 call was made.…
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