7-meter fall

Man jumps from balcony out of fear of rival

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

A 44-year-old man in the Götzis area (Vorarlberg) was seriously injured on Tuesday night when he tried to save himself from a violent 38-year-old man. The frightened man jumped from a balcony, missed a flying roof and fell seven meters. 

Police operation in the Götzis area at around 4.15 a.m. on Tuesday: at this late hour, a 38-year-old man went into a mental state of emergency, as reported by the police. He threw objects around and threatened a 44-year-old man who was also in the apartment at the time. The latter was apparently so frightened that he tried to escape from the balcony.

Aggressive behavior
He tried to jump onto a nearby flying roof, but missed and landed on the asphalt seven meters below. When the police arrived on the scene, the 38-year-old was still standing on the balcony, throwing objects and shouting loudly. 

The 44-year-old was lying under the balcony and had sustained serious injuries to his head and vertebrae. The officers removed the man from the danger zone and he was subsequently taken to hospital.

Fire extinguisher sprayed
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old armed himself with a breakfast knife and changed his location several times. The man triggered the fire alarm system in the residential complex and sprayed several fire extinguishers in the stairwell.

He eventually left the property, where he was arrested by the police using pepper spray. After receiving medical treatment, he was taken to Feldkirch prison by order of the public prosecutor's office.