Woman Dies Doing Handstand on Balcony (But Wins Bet)
July 15th, 2007 by 
Mr. Juice
Hello Stupid!
ORLANDO, Fla. — An Alabama woman died after she fell 15 feet from an apartment balcony, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.Jessica Ashley Hawkins, 20, asked two friends to take her to the hospital after she struck the ground headfirst Thursday evening. Hawkins was attempting a handstand from the balcony when she fell. Hawkins lost consciousness in the car on the way to the hospital, according to a sheriff’s incident report. She was taken to Winter Park Hospital, transferred to the Orlando Regional Medical Center and died at 11:35 p.m., according to the report. “This really is a tragedy,” sheriff’s spokesman Jim Solomons said. “Both of the young lady’s friends were very, very distraught.” Hawkins — a former University of Central Florida student — was visiting her boyfriend when she fell, the Orlando Sentinel reported. “What this was was a gathering of friends. The investigation revealed nothing had gotten out of hand,” Solomons said. “By all appearances, this is just a very, very tragic accident.” – You would had thought that she could tuck and roll? Head first…ouch. foxnews News tragic accident woman died young lady |
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January 16th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I just came upon this article, and Jessica Hawkins was a friend of mine. I feel that the phrase below the column is very disrespectful-as well as the Hello Stupid!-. Jessica was a very kind-hearted and loving person, and she could light the world with her smile. Just because this incident happened doesn’t mean that she was stupid. A person lost a life and that is a vry tragic occurance. So, next time you write a column like this, you might want to choose your words better and remember the friends and family of the victim. To you, she is just another column, but to us, she was an amazing person who will always be remembered.
May 1st, 2008 at 1:28 pm
As a friend of Jessi’s dad, I agree with Amber. You people need to take into consideration the feelings of the friends and family. So I hope what goes around comes around.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Perhaps it is those who believe everything they read in the paper or online who are really stupid. My daughter was one of the most intelligent persons I know on this planet, and the coroner later found proof that she did not do a handstand and had to amend her death certificate as a result. It has been over two years, but I am still bambarded with stupid darwin award jokes by idiots who think the loss of a beautiful human life is somehow funny. Shame on you all. Marni Lee, the proud mother of Jessica Ashley Hawkins.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Ignoring the fact that Jessica probably did not do a handstand as reported…
As a former gymnast, I can certainly understand someone doing a handstand on a balcony–it’s fun! Anyone who doesn’t think so hasn’t really lived (i.e. is one of those cold and timid souls that Teddy Roosevelt talked about). When I was young and immortal I used to do stuff like that all the time. I’ve jumped off my roof head first (feet first got boring after a while), done a handstand on the top of a ladder that was on the roof of my parents house, jumped out of trees, etc. It’s safe, if you know what you’re doing; i.e. for a handstand on a balcony, if you overbalance then you just twist and land feet first (and judo roll like for a parachute landing). Not much of a problem, though 15 feet is painful if it’s not soft grass (i.e. high risk of a sprained ankle or worse). At any rate, such behavior not recommended if you’re not a gymnast, wrestler, or judo player (i.e. someone who is often in freefall during practice or competition).
My guess (based on the scant evidence provided) is that Jessica may have leaned out a bit too far and fallen uncontrollably, in which case it is understandable that she fell on her head. It is a shame. My condolences to her friends and family.