Neighbours rushed to aid of man who fell 60 feet from balcony

Heartsease Towers, Heartsease. Ashbourne Tower (Image: Archant © 2007)

Witnesses had seen the man, believed to be in his 30s, fall from a balcony on the fifth floor of Ashbourne Tower around 6.20pm.

Two men immediately ran to his side, keeping him still and secure until the ambulance service arrived.

This morning he remains in Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital having sustained multiple serious injuries. His condition is described as life-threatening.

One resident of Ashbourne Tower, who did not want to be named publicly, had just put her child to bed when she heard 'a large thud' at around 6.15pm.

'At first I thought my son had fallen out of bed,' said the 21-year-old. 'Then I heard this commotion from outside my window. I looked outside and saw some legs. I thought a fight had started.

'There was a man on the phone with him really agitated, and he told us someone had just fallen from a balcony.'

The man had narrowly missed landing on a concrete pathway, instead falling to a grass embankment.

'It's scary when it happens right outside your window,' the 21-year-old added. 'If he had landed on the concrete it would not have ended so well.

'I just hope he makes a good recovery, because it really doesn't look good.'

Arron Warren had run down from the block of flats to help the man, holding him until paramedics arrived.

'I just kept talking to him until the ambulance got there,' said the 30-year-old. 'I kept him warm and kept talking to him to mke sure he was still with me. 'I had to keep telling him to breathe, and tried to keep him calm.

'It was just horrific. I did not sleep last night at all, because every time I closed my eyes I saw him.

'I have had it playing on my mind ever since,'

Kooner Bic, manager of the Premier store on Watling Road, said the man had been a regular customer for the last six months, describing him as 'quiet'.

'I think he had some problems and wanted a fresh start,' he said. 'He was a nice guy. 'Everyone feels really sorry for him, but a lot of people still don't understand what happened. Usually he was very quiet, and would not stop to talk. 'Everyone thinks it's terrible. It's difficult to take in, and it sounds very serious.'

Jo Pyle, 33, lives opposite the block of flats and was alerted by blue lights. 'The first thing I knew was the ambulance and police cars arriving, then the forensics team turning up,' she said. 'They had cordoned off an area and then brought someone away on a stretcher.

'It is quite frightening, and at first we didn't know what had happened.'

A police spokesman said the incident is not being treated as suspicious.

'Enquiries are currently underway to determine the full circumstances of the incident,' they added.

Anyone who has any information should contact Norfolk Police on 101.