Uni student broke back in jump to join club

A student has a serious spinal fracture after leaping off a two-storey house as a stunt to join a university committee.

The 20-year-old man had lit his hair on fire and landed in an inflatable paddling pool.

A spectator filmed the plunge at the property on Ilam Rd last Friday night.

The video was to be played at the University of Canterbury Engineering Society (ENSOC) AGM on Tuesday.

ENSOC’s guidelines state a filmed stunt is a requirement for candidates hoping to join the committee.

The 20-year-old remains in hospital. His flatmates said yesterday that the man was not drinking that night. The water in the paddling pool was about one metre deep. It was a ‘‘freak accident’’, they said.

‘‘He went a bit too far and just kind of hit the side [of the pool] . . . it was pretty tragic,’’ one said.

‘‘It’s been rough, but we are just holding up for him.’’

According to the society’s guidelines for potential candidates, nominees were required to notify the AGM adjudicator of the content of the stunt prior to their filming.

‘‘The purpose of the stunt is to prove to the audience that you are the best man or woman for the job, and the lengths you are willing to go for the betterment of the club.’’

The form says stunts that involve serious injury to the candidate or anyone else would not be accepted. It also asks candidates to consider: ‘‘Are there likely to be serious long-term consequences from my stunt?’’

The 20-year-old’s flatmates, who would not give their names, said ENSOC had scrapped the stunt requirement this year because of the accident.

The stunt tradition was not well known, they said.

‘‘It’s just sort of a last-minute thing. Most people campaign and some people think, ‘Oh, I’ll just get on [the committee] for being rad’ and it’s not the general method.’’

The footage of the accident had been deleted, they said.

ENSOC’s president referred inquiries to the University of Canterbury.

Vice-chancellor Rod Carr confirmed a student was injured at a private residence last Friday.

‘‘The university has met with the student’s family to offer its support.

‘‘The student’s family has requested privacy and the university will be making no further comment.’’

A spokesman said the university worked with the University of Canterbury Students’ Association to ensure students and clubs acted responsibly.

He would not say whether or not the university was aware of the stunt policy.

Detective Senior Sergeant Leairne Dow said police were unaware of the incident but would make inquiries to establish what happened.

It comes almost a year after University of Canterbury engineering student Fergus Watts, 21, sliced his buttocks after falling off a roof and possibly through a window at a party in nearby Karamu Place, Riccarton.

The October 2015 party was organised as a pre-event or alternative to the university’s end-of-lectures Tea Party.

The purpose of the stunt is to prove to the audience that you are the best man or woman for the job, and the lengths you are willing to go to for the betterment of the club. Stunts must be filmed, as live stunts will no be permitted. Source: ENSOC