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ARCHIVED - Briton in critical condition on Costa del Sol, Andalusia, after balconing mishap
Witnesses reported the nasty accident at a holiday apartment in Marbella, Málaga, to be the result of a failed ‘balconing’ attempt.
A 31-year-old British man is in intensive care in a Málaga hospital with severe injuries after jumping from a third-floor balcony in San Pedro de Alcántara, near Marbella, and landing on a parasol, according to local press reports.
The man is said to have been at a party in a holiday apartment on Monday evening (7 June) when he decided to have a go at ‘balconing’, the term coined to describe the strange phenomenon of tourists trying to jump into swimming pools from hotel room or holiday flat balconies.
However, he reportedly misjudged the distance and landed on a parasol rather than in the water, causing severe injuries to his head, chest, internal organs and extremities. Horrified witnesses called emergency services at about 7 pm to report the accident, and police patrols and ambulances rushed to the scene.
After paramedics spent over 40 minutes stabilizing the patient, he was taken first to the nearby Costa del Sol Hospital, and later to the Regional Hospital in Málaga city - which has a specific neurology and neurosurgery department - due to concerns over his head injuries.
The man remains in a critical condition in intensive care, with doctors particularly worried about his severe head and chest injuries, local press say medical sources have explained.
‘Balconing’ has become a huge problem in popular tourist destinations across Spain in recent years. In 2018, for example, eight young men died and a similar number were injured in accidents of this type in Mallorca alone. The Spanish authorities were forced some time ago to specifically ban this activity and warn that those caught in the act face very hefty fines, yet it appears that some are either unaware of (or not bothered by) the fact that they are not only putting themselves in considerable danger but also breaking the law.