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Balcony jumper wanted to test himse
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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

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Balcony jumper wanted to test himse

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

A man who died after jumping from an Auckland property tycoon's apartment was an experienced outdoorsman, talented snowboarder and a "cool, cool, guy", friends say. Adam Douglas Marshall died when he tried to jump into the Waitemata Harbour from an eighth-floor Princes Wharf apartment.

Mr Marshall, 28, had been confident of making the jump, a distance of at least five metres out.

"Adam liked to party," friend Brent Harridge told the Herald. "I thought he was probably boozed and doing something silly, but apparently his flatmate reckoned they'd split half-a-dozen beers."

Mr Marshall "just had it in his head" that he could make the jump, despite attempts to dissuade him. "When Adam gets something in his head, there's no stopping him. "A lot of the time that works in his favour and he does things or achieves things that other people wouldn't, but in this case it didn't pay off."

Police said Mr Marshall had been drinking with a group of five - including two of Mr Henderson's sons - when he climbed onto a balcony ledge and jumped, about 4am on Sunday.

The property is owned by multimillionaire businessman David Henderson. Mr Henderson was sleeping at the apartment, and was woken by police, Senior Sergeant Matt Rogers said.

Party-goers had speculated on making the jump throughout the evening, before Mr Marshall's attempt, he said. "Everyone we spoke to had the same story, there was nothing untoward or suspicious about it."

One of the party-goers, who had left by the time of the accident, told Mr Harridge no one believed Mr Marshall could have made the jump.

"Any time [the party-goer] had been there and stood on that balcony, never in a million years would he have thought it's jumpable ... it was a nasty night, everything was against him. The wind was blowing in his face."

Mr Harridge described his friend as an adventurous snowboarder and skier, who had tried big jumps before. "Apparently he was not that boozed and was just sure he could do it. "He definitely was a party boy. He always had a cheeky smile on his face and could definitely end up in trouble late at night ... but I don't think that's the case in this one."

Mr Marshall was a construction management student at Unitec, in Auckland, and had worked at Castles Marquee and Party Hire, in Glenfield, on and off for the past 13 years.

Castles colleague Janet Hood described him as a hard working and popular member of the team. "Everyone loved him, he was a real charmer and when he went on jobs everyone wanted him to come back."

Mr Marshall lived with his girlfriend. A funeral is planned for Friday.

Submitted on 04/29/2008

Submitted by: Ian Grant
Reference: New Zealand Herald 30/04/08

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Chip said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
More good information on this story. Thanks, Ian

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Yes, this does provide a bit more information on this story that we've already received. Thanks, Ian.

The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action

Hardback. 327 pages. Autographed.
$15
185 Stories! In the ongoing saga of Survival of the Fittest, meet the thief who steals electrical wires without shutting off the current! Marvel at the would-be pilot who suspends his lawnchair from helium balloons! Learn from the man who peers into a gas can using a cigarette lighter...!

This book also includes a History of the Darwin Awards, Darwin Haiku, and a dozen humorous discussions of the implications of evolution, including the origin of idiots, and the role of testosterone.

Autographed by Author!

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