Parents of fall victim move to motel

The Proximity Apartments in Manukau where the boy fell. Photo / Greg Bowker

The family of a 15-year-old who survived a 50m plunge from a balcony has moved from the apartment where he fell.

The parents of the King's College student have chosen to live in a motel near Middlemore Hospital where the boy is recovering. They left the Proximity Apartments in Manukau after their son fell from the 16th storey, through a carpark roof on to a concrete floor.

The cause of the fall is not known. The teenager suffered broken bones and internal injuries, but was expected to be discharged from hospital tomorrow.

The death-defying plunge has also affected other tenants in the building. One resident said he would be leaving because the incident had soured his feelings about the building.

"I'm moving out ... It's no longer my home," he said.

A staff member at the apartment said the impact was heard by every tenant on that side of the complex. Another tenant saw the boy drop past his balcony as he smoked a cigarette outside. He raised the alarm. The boy's mother was sleeping at the time and his father was not at home.

Counties Manukau police inspected the balcony and were satisfied it was safe. A spokeswoman said police were taking no further action.