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Sydney Morning Herald Incessant rain has been a curse to many Sydneysiders, but one man can thank it for saving his life. The 34-year old, who fell from an eighth floor balcony after a Christmas party stunt misfired, was in a critical condition in St Vincent's Hospital yesterday. But his condition would have been much worse if he had not landed on a rain-soaked patch of grass. The man, believed to be a restaurateur, fell 25 metres from his rented Darling Point unit overlooking Sydney Harbour. Police said he stood on the balcony, grabbed a railing and tried to flip himself over onto a concrete ledge adjacent to the balcony while others looked on. However he lost his grip, slipped and fell. Miraculously, the man narrowly missed a brick wall and walkway surrounding a swimming pool below the 20-floor apartment block and landed on a lush patch of grass. ''He is extremely lucky that he landed on a grass area that would have been softer because of the recent rain,'' Inspector David Vidal of Rose Bay Local Area Command said. Last night the man was in an induced coma after shattering his pelvis, rupturing his spleen and suffering severe internal injuries. The group were drinking but a neighbour, John Lyons, said they didn't seem drunk. The $1300-a-week waterfront unit is rented by the man and two others including a professional skateboarder, he said. ''They were well behaved, they're very good neighbours,'' Mr Lyons said. Inspector Vidal urged partygoers to take it easy over the wet Christmas break, taking caution around balconies and not participating in dangerous stunts. The rain that may have saved the man's life eased across the city yesterday. Sydney received 61 millimetres before 9am but just 0.4 millimetres after. The forecast for Christmas Day brightened slightly with rain to clear and the sun to peek through the clouds. ''It'll be a little bit warmer than it has been,'' David Barlow of the Bureau of Meteorology said. A balmy 26 degrees is forecast. with Glenda Kwek |
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