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2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
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Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Viaduct jumper 'couldn't be stopped

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Even as a child, Adam Marshall would terrify his mother as he climbed whatever was nearest and highest - then refuse to come down.

"I sometimes thought I would have a heart attack from his climbing of trees, but he just loved it," Laura Magic told the Herald on Sunday yesterday. "Even when he was grounded, he would climb down drainpipes. Adam can climb up and on to anything."

But in the early hours of last Sunday morning, Marshall - an adrenalin sport lover and thrill seeker - attempted a stunt that went horribly wrong. The 28-year-old university student leapt at least 5m out from the balcony of the a luxury apartment, belonging to a friend's father, hoping to fall into the Viaduct Harbour. Instead, he hit the ground, dying instantly as friends, including his horrified partner Jacqui Lee, waited above.

"He was confident he could achieve the jump," Jacqui yesterday told the Herald on Sunday. "What happened is the worst day of my life ... Adam was an adrenalin junkie. When he put his mind to something that he thought he could do, he would just do it."

Jacqui, Adam and a small group of friends had been drinking only moderately when at 4am on Sunday, Adam decided he could make the jump from property developer David Henderson's multi-million-dollar penthouse. Police said Adam had spoken of attempting the jump earlier in the evening and it was a "deliberate" stunt "with an unforseen result".

His mother Laura is philosophical about the sudden death of her eldest, and much loved, son. "You know it's no good blaming. You couldn't stop Adam. I see no point in being angry. He made those choices ... when you have this kind of son you will always have problems. If you do crazy things, there are consequences, aren't there?"

Born in Zimbabwe, Adam was an adventurer from a young age, taking after his grandfather - a "great white hunter" says Laura. A fun-loving prankster, he was "hysterically mischievous" - competitive and always play-fighting with his siblings.

A construction management student at Auckland's Unitec, Marshall had given Jacqui a toy monkey, his Chinese horoscope sign, as a present two years into their relationship.

"Adam was a mischievous monkey so he gave me this one ... that was him in a nutshell," Jacqui says.

The couple had spoken of marriage and Jacqui says she thought she was "the luckiest girl in the world - it is just so hard because I cannot imagine my life without him".

Overtly affectionate with his friends and family, Jacqui says Adam would tell her daily how much he loved her.

"He would lean over with his arms around me and whisper into my ear - 'Baby, have I told you how much I love you today? I love you more than all the stars in the sky, all the leaves in the trees, all the water droplets in the whole ocean'."

Laura said on the night before Adam died, she texted him inviting him to a family roast lunch. Instead, police arrived at her home, at 8am Sunday, to say her son had been killed. Both Laura and Jacqui are adamant the group had drunk only six beers between them.

"I was the last to find out because Jacqui didn't have my number."

The shock was terrible, Laura says: "I was hysterical. I had my face in my hands and just sobbed ... my fear was how he would look given the height at which he jumped."

Laura says she was hoping that when she went to identify the body, she would be able to say, 'Oh, I'm really sorry, I'm really sorry for that mother, that's not my son".

At a large, emotional service on Friday, Adam was cremated in a white casket, his favourite colour.

"Yes, he always wanted a white leather lounge suite, a white boxer dog," Laura says. "Well, he ended up with a white casket."

Written on it were messages from his mum and friends, plus this, from Jacqui: "You will forever be in my heart. I miss you everyday. I love you so much - more than all the stars in the sky."

Submitted on 05/03/2008

Submitted by:
Reference: 5:00AM Sunday May 04, 2008

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat
Thanks, we've already received numerous submissions about this jumper.


Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat
Heartbreaking, but he resisted all chances to watch his landing.


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