Well that was an effed up way to start the day

[J Larsen]

About an hour ago I was walking on Mercer between Washington Place and Waverly towards Oren's Daily Roast (damn good coffee shop), when I hear a sreaming voice above my head. I look up, see a naked person falling through the air, and stop dead in my tracks as it lands head first, bounces off the pavement with a sickly thud and come to rest with its ass facing me. He (or she, I didn't step around to find out) landed about five to ten feet in front of me. I came back to my dept. to tell my coworkers what happened. They asked if the person was dead. I said if the fall hadn't killed him, I would have.

I notified the police immediately, of course. To my surprise, they had almost no questions whatsoever. The body was collected within five minutes.

[7/4]

Wow.

I know there were a couple of suicide jumpers at NYU last school year. That's a NYU neighborhood, isn't it?

[Alexander]

Yikes!

Look out below!!!

[7/4]

Hey! I was walking down that street on Friday afternoon!

[Guest Chaney]

AMAZING!

While tragic, are you sure it was only a suicide and not an attempted suicide / murder?

[J Larsen]

Good point, Chaney; I guess I should watch what I say!

[frank m]

It would only have been a really f'd up day if it landed on you.

signed, Polyanna.Especially if it was after your quals.

[BERIGAN]

Somehow, I am missing the humor in someone jumping to their death.....

[ghost of miles]

That's a sad, crazy story, J Larsen. Needless to say, I'm glad the jumper didn't land on you--would have compounded the tragedy.

[J Larsen]

Somehow, I am missing the humor in someone jumping to their death.....

Frankly, Berigan, I am incapable of caring about someone who doesn't care about themselves enough to stay alive.

I am especially incapable of caring about someone who is narcissistic enough to kill themselves so publicly. I didn't need to see that shit, nor did the firefighters who scrapped him off the sidewalk. Take some fucking pills if you're going to do that.

And here everyone thought *I* was the bleeding heart type...

Edited September 6, 2004 by J Larsen

[connoisseur series500]

I'd certainly search for some humour out of the incident. Sounds damned traumatic and I'd prefer to be distracted or detached if a falling body just missed me by a few feet.

They say that people feel a tremendous calm when falling from great heights. This person obviously did not, since he was screaming.

Hmmm....

[Guest Chaney]

Again... tragic, but why take your life in a manner that might also harm or kill someone else? I can see not caring if your life is about to end but why take another life during your final exit?

Why potentially go out a killer?

[J Larsen]

Again... tragic, but why take your life in a manner that might also harm or kill someone else? I can see not caring if your life is about to end but why take another life during your final exit?

Why potentially go out a killer?

That's (part of) what I'm saying. Hence my comment in my original post.

[connoisseur series500]

I suspect that the man committing suicide feels he leaves his fate in God's hands. If he survives then he undergoes a lifechanging event and he tries to rebuild his life. If he dies, then it was the right thing to do.

If he kills another human being on the way down, then God willed it. Or perhaps the decision as to whether to jump or not is all-consuming and pedestrians aren't considered at all.

Just theories of course...

[7/4]

Sound familiar?

From 1010wins:

Sep 6, 2004 2:53 pm US/Eastern

(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) The body of a young woman was found in front of a Greenwich Village building on Monday, and police were investigating.

Detective Mindy Diaz described the victim as a black woman in her 20s. Diaz said the woman was found unconscious at 10:30 a.m. in front of 286 Mercer St., and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Mercer Street is near the New York University campus, but police could not immediately say if the victim was a student there.

[RainyDay]

I find this thread disturbing on a couple of different levels.

[connoisseur series500]

Sound familiar?

From 1010wins:

Sep 6, 2004 2:53 pm US/Eastern

(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) The body of a young woman was found in front of a Greenwich Village building on Monday, and police were investigating.

Detective Mindy Diaz described the victim as a black woman in her 20s. Diaz said the woman was found unconscious at 10:30 a.m. in front of 286 Mercer St., and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Mercer Street is near the New York University campus, but police could not immediately say if the victim was a student there.

wow!

[7/4]

I find this thread disturbing on a couple of different levels.

I find it totally disturbing.

Any death is fucked up.

[DTMX]

I find this thread disturbing on a couple of different levels. 

Particularly at street-level.

[Guest Chaney]

I find this thread disturbing on a couple of different levels.  

Particularly at street-level.

That comment was totally ( ) uncalled for.

You should be ashamed.

[Parkertown]

I'm glad you're okay, Jan.

Whew! That was a close one!

[Guest Chaney]

And with all gentle joking aside, it should be remembered that the wonderful Susannah McCorkle chose to end her life by jumping from the window of her 16th floor Manhattan apartment.

Very sad.

[connoisseur series500]

or was pushed...

[RainyDay]

or was pushed...

Excuse me? Are the few preceeding comments supposed to be funny? It's okay to make fun of someone's suicide because they are anonymous?

I can't believe anyone would make a comeback comment like that about Ms. McCorkle.

[connoisseur series500]

or was pushed...

Excuse me? Are the few preceeding comments supposed to be funny? It's okay to make fun of someone's suicide because they are anonymous?

I can't believe anyone would make a comeback comment like that about Ms. McCorkle.

I wasn't trying to be funny, Rainy. Although the smilie does add some humor.

Are we sure this was a result of a suicide?

That was the point I was trying to make.