Jumping from a first floor balcony is definitely not a suicide attempt. I would guess it's almost never fatal, either. I'm guessing he got those injuries before the fall.
Whatever happened, it's very sad.
Jumping from a first floor balcony is definitely not a suicide attempt. I would guess it's almost never fatal, either. I'm guessing he got those injuries before the fall.
Whatever happened, it's very sad.
There's definitely something missing from this story. If he had fallen and hit his head and died that would be one thing but the internal injuries from a 1 story fall sound suspicious.
A story is not a defined unit of measurement. I believe Wanjiru had a rather grand house in Nyahururu; it's possible that his first-floor balcony was quite high.
One could survive a fall from a greater height than this, or die from a lesser fall.
Might not make much difference, but in Kenya there is "ground floor" and 1st Floor (which is 2nd floor in the US). Still seems like a survivable height, but landing the wrong way from almost any height can be fatal.
elton wrote:
http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/470108/highRes/41465/-/maxw/600/-/bjws1e/-/sam.jpgOne could survive a fall from a greater height than this, or die from a lesser fall.
But one could not reasonably attempt suicide by jumping 10 feet. As Brian said, some critical details are still missing from the story.
Ughh rough wrote:
I would assume it was probably alcohol related before intentional suicide.
Ever wonder why the drunk driver tends to survive the head on collision? Because their body is lax-- no tensing up. If alcohol was involved, he would hit the ground like a wet noodle, and probably be more likely to survive.
not sure wrote:
Ughh rough wrote:I would assume it was probably alcohol related before intentional suicide.
Ever wonder why the drunk driver tends to survive the head on collision? Because their body is lax-- no tensing up. If alcohol was involved, he would hit the ground like a wet noodle, and probably be more likely to survive.
we're talking free fall here though not nearly the same type of force as in a car wreck i would think. but it is an interesting point. can anyone clarify?
It seems that head injuries were the reason for the death. If there was alcohol involved (not confirmed), I can see how he jumps from the balcony, landed hard on his head, and later died from the injuries. He probably was drunk, took a very bad jump, and landed very hard on his head. It was said that he was jumping off the balcony to catch up to his wife, so I can see a accident gone horrible. This last weekend, one of my friends (I'm early 20s) was toasted and fell off a 3 foot ledge, busting his knee bad. Those things just happen. I know it is speculation that I speak, but I see the story as that rather than suicide or injured before the fall. In any case, Sammy Wanjiru was truly EPIC. This was the worst running news I've heard... RIP Great Sammy!
Until now, we didn't feel comfortable reporting what we'd heard about the cause of death as our sources didn't want to be on the record. However, a published report is now out from Kenya stating that the "police report says the athlete fell from his 2nd floor house after a domestic quarrel with his wife."
That basically is what we'd heard as well.
You can get all of detailed specifics from an excellent article here:
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/local/olympic_champion_wanjiru_jumps_to_his_death.html
Read that and you'll know pretty much everything except if alcohol was involved.
I'm pretty sure it's a myth that the intoxicated are more likely to survive traumatic impact:
not sure wrote:
Ever wonder why the drunk driver tends to survive the head on collision? Because their body is lax-- no tensing up. If alcohol was involved, he would hit the ground like a wet noodle, and probably be more likely to survive.
Relaxing might be helpful when you're sitting in a car seat but hitting the ground like a wet noodle would definitely not be an advantage. Your spine is not meant to bend like a wet noodle.
This definitely sounds like an accident now. If he hung from that balcony and dropped, there is no way he could suffer fatal injuries. He must have recklessly jumped on passion, inebriation, or both.
rojo wrote:
Until now, we didn't feel comfortable reporting what we'd heard about the cause of death as our sources didn't want to be on the record. However, a published report is now out from Kenya stating that the "police report says the athlete fell from his 2nd floor house after a domestic quarrel with his wife."
That basically is what we'd heard as well.
You can get all of detailed specifics from an excellent article here:
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/local/olympic_champion_wanjiru_jumps_to_his_death.htmlRead that and you'll know pretty much everything except if alcohol was involved.
rojo, the link didn't work
not sure wrote:
Ever wonder why the drunk driver tends to survive the head on collision? Because their body is lax-- no tensing up. If alcohol was involved, he would hit the ground like a wet noodle, and probably be more likely to survive.
???? Never heard of this urban legend before. How does being "tense" or "loose" determine survival in a collision? Physics doesn't discriminate. The forces that cause broken bones, head trauma, or internal organ damage isn't mitigated by intoxication.
It seems pretty straight forward.
Reports say that his wife locked them ( he and his mistress) in his room. He was likely trying to get out. So he jumped off the balcony and must have hit his head, which would be easy to do if you were drunk.
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/local/5734.html722 wrote:
rojo, the link didn't work
An AP article with a quote from the national police spokesman saying Wanjiru committed suicide is getting a lot of attention, but the latest reports we have seen from the local officials doing the investigation is that it is still ongoing.
The AP is going off of the quote of the national police spokesman while the local police guy doing the investigation says they have not decided one way or the other about suicide, so I think saying it is a suicide is premature at this point.
We just updated our article to reflect this. We said, "As of 3:30 am eastern, the latest news out of Kenya is that Wanjiru came home from a bar with another woman and his wife confronted him. An argument ensued and Wanjiru fell or jumped from a balcony. The investigation is ongoing as to the nature of the fall, whether Wanjiru jumped and died accidentally, fell accidentally, or committed suicide. Area police chief Jasper Ombati said, "We cannot conclusively say he committed suicide, or that he jumped down and died accidentally." (See
) An earlier Associated Press report (here
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/05/16/sports-ath-wanjiru-death_8467869.html
)that quoted national policeman spokesman Eric Kiraithe saying Wanjiru "committed suicide" got a lot of world wide headlines, but the latest reports indicate the investigation has not reached any conclusions.
LRC article here:
Wejo
Thanks for honoring one of the greatest young distance runners ever. It's a tragedy and I hope the truth comes out regarding his suspicous death.
It sounds like a booze-fueled domestic incident gone horribly awry. The worst but not the first at the Wanjiru estate.
The suicide claim seems off. "Oh no, I came home drunk from a bar with a woman other than my wife. My wife found us and started yelling at me, so I suddenly decided life wasn't worth living and did the quick calculations that jumping from a not-that-high balcony would achieve my goal, even though I live in an estate with armed guards and could easily get my hands on a gun if I wanted to."
