Balcony from which boy fell to be examined

Photo / Sarah Ivey

The balcony of an apartment from which an Auckland teenager fell 16 storeys to a concrete floor and survived is to be examined to see if it has been modified.

The 15-year-old is in a stable condition in Auckland's Middlemore Hospital this afternoon with a broken wrist, broken rib, gouged leg and internal injuries, three days after the 50-metre plunge.

A spokeswoman for Manukau City Council said the apartment, which was new and had passed its code of compliance certificate, would be examined.

The boy fell from the top floor of the Proximity Apartments in Manukau City's Amersham Way about 9.30pm on Thursday.

He crashed through the steel roof of the building's carpark, which cushioned his fall to the concrete floor, the building's manager Jason Epps-Eades said.

The teen was taken to hospital in a serious condition but had since stabilised and was expected to be discharged this week.

The cause of his fall was not yet known but witnesses said the boy may have been playing on the balcony.

Another tenant raised the alarm after he saw the boy fall past his apartment.

Experts said it was very rare for someone to survive a fall of more than five storeys, though head injuries were the most common cause of fall deaths.

A Counties Manukau police spokeswoman confirmed they had investigated the fall and were taking no further action after being satisfied it was not a building or balcony fault.

- NZPA