Did anyone hear about the guy who jumped off of the Mckay Building in Anchorage, Alaska and suffered injuries? Apparently he was not familiar with base jumping and his canopy did not open. He landed on 6 inches of snow. Broke both legs, suffered pelvic injuries and was in critical condition. Sky diver hurt in leap off MacKay CRITICAL: Visiting Canadian badly injured in 14-story jump when chute malfunctions. By Nicole Tsong Anchorage Daily News (Published: April 16, 2002) A visiting Canadian sky diver leaped from the MacKay Building around midnight Sunday and learned a harsh lesson when his parachute failed to open completely. Police said male, 32, plunged 14 stories from the roof, past scaffolding and gaping windows to the surrounding construction area, where his landing was cushioned only by 6 inches of snow. The resident of Ontario, Canada, was taken to Alaska Regional Hospital with broken bones in his legs and pelvis and a collapsed lung, police said. He remained in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit, according to a friend. Two women who were at the East Fourth Avenue site with Kell to watch him jump, told police he was an experienced sky diver but had little practice with what is called base jumping, parachuting off of structures. "There's not much to tell," said Krysia Price, an Anchorage resident. She said Kell was in town visiting. She would not elaborate about the incident until she had spoken with Kell's parents. Police spokesman Ron McGee said Kell may be cited for trespassing or endangering the lives of other people. Kell apparently got past or over the fence that surrounds the building, which is undergoing extensive renovation. He jumped about 12:30 a.m. Officers responding to the fall climbed the fence to reach Kell and medics cut part of the fence to carry him out, McGee said. City law requires developers to fence off a construction area but does not require further security, said Joe Murdy, director of the city's Development Services Department. The MacKay opened in 1952 as a luxury apartment tower, but it was damaged in the 1964 earthquake and then repaired. The building was emptied of tenants and condemned in the 1980s, and a decade later, the city began to look at demolishing the run-down building.
