American Dies After Fall From Well-known Condo.

[kurgen]

On Thursday afternoon police and rescue services were called to Center Condo in South Pattaya after being informed that a foreign man had fallen from one of the floors and was lying badly injured at the base of the building.

The man, an American national later identified as Michael John Bruner, aged 58, was lying face down and clearly in a very distressed state with multiple broken bones.

Although he was attended to at the scene and then rushed to Pattaya Memorial hospital, Mr Bruner died a short while later from his injuries.

Initial theories are that Mr Bruner committed suicide as residents and workers at the condo said he was suffering financial problems and had recently begun selling off his assets.

Even so, it may be that his fall was an accident. Although the deceased’s room was on the 13th floor of the complex, Mr Bruner fell from the third floor.

Locals said he liked to sit near an open window on the third floor to catch the sea breeze on most days.

For some strange reason police were unable to gain access to Mr Bruner’s room on the 13th floor because it was locked and the keys to the room were not, apparently, on his person.

Police said there was no evidence of anything unusual around the third floor balcony area and they believe Mr Bruner committed suicide due to stress.

The American Embassy has been notified of the death.

Pattaya One News

[Scott]

My condolences to the family and friends of the victim.

The current financial situation may see more people going down like the stock market.

[PhilHarries]

For some strange reason police were unable to gain access to Mr Bruner’s room on the 13th floor because it was locked and the keys to the room were not, apparently, on his person.

Strange indeed, maybe they were in his possession when he fell, if he did fall, but were appropriated before the police arrived, or maybe after. Publications like P1N seem to rely on reactive rather than investigative journalism.

RIP to the guy, I'd sure like to see a follow up piece on what they found when they eventually opened his room but I'll not be holding my breath on that one. The suicide verdict certainly fits in with the mayor's alledged edict on reporting of deaths.

[robee]

For some strange reason police were unable to gain access to Mr Bruner's room on the 13th floor because it was locked and the keys to the room were not, apparently, on his person.

Strange indeed, maybe they were in his possession when he fell, if he did fall, but were appropriated before the police arrived, or maybe after. Publications like P1N seem to rely on reactive rather than investigative journalism.

RIP to the guy, I'd sure like to see a follow up piece on what they found when they eventually opened his room but I'll not be holding my breath on that one. The suicide verdict certainly fits in with the mayor's alledged edict on reporting of deaths.

strange indeed. seems an epideminc of these in city. why? suicide notes? witness?

things are not always what they seem.

[davejonesbkk]

Yeah cos people who want to die usually choose the 3rd floor to jump from....

[Robski]

^ Exactly. He lived on the 13th floor but decided to jump from the third floor.

Whatever the reason I don't believe it was suicide, just more lazy Thai policing.

[patklang]

Its hard to believe many of these guys who commit suicide do not leave a message to loved ones.No matter what state mentalyone is surely you think of the nicer things in life like family.very strange to me why many kill themselves without any tohught to family and friends.

[Kerryd]

Before all the conspiracy theories start flourishing, take a moment.

It was reported that he often liked to sit in that area.

It is rumoured he was having financial difficulties (lots of farangs in that building, many get together, drink beer and shoot the shit on a regular basis. Word gets around about these things fairly quickly)

He had reportedly been selling off his assets. (Talk to Suicide Prevention counsellors. They will tell you that when someone suddenly starts selling off (or giving away) his assets, that's a sign of a potential suicide. Not always, but a lot of people that have decided to end it all give everything away just before.)

He was 58. I've seen a lot of the farangs living in that building. Not many of the older ones look to be in any kind of shape to survive a 3 story fall. H3ll, even younger people in great shape are lucky to survive such a drop. Difference is, where a younger man might survive the injuries (if he lived at all), an older man is less likely (as in this case). (No, I don't recognize the guy)

Room locked ? No keys in pockets ? Possibly he purposely left them in the room, locking the door on the way out so that no one would pillage what ever he had left after he died.

Maybe he left a suicide note in the room as well. We'll never know. There's no report that the police did anything other then note that the door to his condo was locked.

Could be too that he simply locked himself out, was thinking about what ever, and had an accident. (I'm not sure where exactly on the building this occurred. Doesn't look like the parking lot, or the side joining Wat Chai. Must have been the backside of the right-wing. If that one pic is the window he went through, it looks like it would have been difficult to accidentally fall through.

By the same token, it would have been hard to "help" someone through it that didn't want to go either. No obvious signs of damage visible in the PCN pics. Hard to say.

But it would be fairly easy to say that not EVERY farang that ends up as road pizza is a murder victim. Some actually do have accidents, or take their own lives.