Man OK After Falling 130 Feet From Copter By Associated Press
document.write(getElapsed("20060130T220659Z")); Mon Jan 30, 5:06 PMUPDATED 15 HOURS 57 MINUTES AGO
VIENNA, Austria - A man plummeted 130 feet from a helicopter Monday but escaped injury because deep snow cushioned his fall.
The 42-year-old was suspended from the helicopter by a rope to make repairs when the knot came undone and he slipped free, police in the Upper Austria town of Hallstatt said in a statement.
Although a fall from that height normally would result in death or serious injury, the deep snow drifts broke the man's fall, officials said. He was taken by rescue helicopter to a nearby hospital for a medical checkup as a precaution but appeared to have no injuries, they said.
That is the type of thing that drives me nuts. That is such a perfect example of how fragile we really are as human beings.
I'm sure that guy has thought thousands of times about how different life might be if not for that one moment he made the seemingly innocent decision to jump into a pile of snow.
