Safety checks after Airbnb balcony collapse
A North Island man remains in a critical condition after falling three storeys from the balcony of a Frankton Road Airbnb last Saturday.
Fin Paddison, from Warkworth near Auckland, fell about six metres when the glass balustrade he was leaning on gave way on the third-floor balcony just before 6.30pm, 19 April, police say.
He was helicoptered to Christchurch Hospital, where was put in an induced coma and is in a critical, but stable, condition.
His cousin Poppy Stenbeck has set up a Givealittle page to help Paddison, who is in his early 20s, and his family. It has so far raised more than $51,000.
"Fin fell a significant height and has suffered horrific and life changing injuries," Stenbeck says on the Givealittle appeal, describing it as a "freak accident".
"He has suffered a major brain injury. He has multiple breaks in his back and neck."
She says his parents, partner, brother and his friends who were on holiday with him have travelled to Christchurch to be by his side and are "waiting for a miracle".
Sergeant Simon Matheson, of Queenstown Police, says other people were on the balcony of the residential property near the Queenstown end of Frankton Road at the time, but nobody else was injured.
“We have no evidence that suggests that any person on the deck had any impact to the rail failing at this point in the investigation,” Matheson says.
Officers are still working their way their enquiries and assessing all the evidence to get to a point of being able to make a determination. “We’re running our investigation and liaising with the council.”
They are also liaising with other agencies.
Two Otago Southland Rescue Helicopters, two St John Ambulances, Police and Queenstown Fire Brigade volunteers all turned out. Firefighters assisted St John paramedics to move Paddison to the awaiting helicopter.
Queenstown Lakes District Council staff are assessing the building's safety after the incident.
“Council is addressing its own enquiries under the Building Act 2004 to assess building safety and will undertake any action it considers appropriate to ensure this,” the spokesperson says.
WorkSafe was notified of the incident and made initial enquiries but has not opened an investigation.
There have been a number of balcony falls in Queenstown over the years. In 2014, Aussie tourist James Teague, 19, died after falling from The Glebe Apartments. Teague, who'd been drinking alcohol, had tried to climb from the second-floor balcony to the rooftop, but fell 10m on to a concrete carpark.
In 2008, Invercargill electrician Shaun Hogan fell to his death at the same hotel while also climbing to the roof.
To donate visit: givealittle.co.nz/cause/supporting-fin-paddison-and-family
