Owner Of Car Damaged By Jumper: "I Miss It. It's My Baby."

Photographs of the car—plus inset of Magill's shoe, which landed on another car—from WABC 7

Maria McCormack lent her red Dodge Charger to her husband on Tuesday—only for the car to be totaled after cushioning the 39-story fall of an apparently suicidal man. She moaned to the Post, "I miss it. It's my baby... I want to meet [jumper Tom Magill] and say, 'Why? Why my car out of all the cars in the city?'"

Her husband Guy McCormack had parked the vehicle in the dead end next to 75 West End Avenue's West End Towers building. Witnesses say that Magill jumped from near the top of the building only to be saved by the red sports car. Maria McCormack said she's glad she didn't get the brakes done (she had a migraine!) and added that the only other time she lent her husband the car, a parking attendant damaged it. She also said, "I wonder how he feels now that he made it. Does he feel like an idiot? I hope he's OK. But I just want to know why."

So far, Magill's motives are a mystery, but it seems like he jumped out of 75 WEA resident Connor McKenna's 39th floor apartment. The Daily News reports, "Detectives told McKenna they found his apartment door open and believe Magill strode through the living room before reaching the balcony, on which a barbecue grill and potted plants sat undisturbed yesterday." The resident said, "It's surreal to know someone used your apartment to do this. The fact that he survived is something special."

Magill, 22, has undergone numerous surgeries. The News says, "Doctors inserted rods in his legs, rebuilt an ankle and stopped massive internal bleeding. He fell feetfirst, shattering much of his lower body and landing in a twisted heap. He survived without serious head injuries." And one surgeon who did not treat Magill but did treat window washer Alcides Morales who survived a 40-story plunge in 2007 told the News:

"The only way to survive is to not land on your head. You want to land feetfirst, or maybe on your side, which would spare your head and major organs..

You also need something to cushion the force of the impact - in this case, even the backseat would help... The key for [Magill] will be tosurvive the next two weeks, and get through any complications from the orthopedic injuries, like infections, embolisms, pneumonias. He gets through that - he has a real chance to make it."

Also, Guy McCormack sounds like a nice guy—even though insurance company Geico told him to sue Magill for the damages, McCormack refuses, "That's the last thing I need to tell this kid, that 'I'm suing you.'"

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on September 2, 2010 10:37 AM

Comments [rss]

UCanView

I really thought she must have owned a rare early 70's Charger that she was attached to maybe a General Lee replica or something. But, nope she just had a recent one she could easily replace. I'm glad the car was able to break his fall. Hopefully he will pull through.

Kelles

Hope good things come to the Guy who doesn't want to kick a person when they're down. But is there really a point in suing an out-of-work actor who just tried to kill himself? He's bound to have a LOT of medical bills if he survives

Gregoire

Sue the fucker. Who cares? He could have landed on a child. He could have landed on YOU.

I have no sympathy for selfish mentalcases endangering the public.

robingee

Clearly you have no sympathy for anyone in pain. It must be nice to be so well-adjusted and happy.

Tara

Nope, I have no sympathy for anyone in pain he/she created. Despite the propaganda by drug companies and shrinks; suicide is a choice as is being well adjusted and happy is a choice. As the above poster said, he could have just as easily landed on a person. I'll reserve my sympathy for people like that who have to suffer because of someone else's selfish decision.

John L

Emotional disturbed person jumps and tries to kill himself.

Woman's car, which she apparently was very fond of, gets totaled and yet for moral and ethical reasons refuses to sue.

Why all the hostility here?

The dude is fucked up mentally and obviously not in his right mindset & the women seems like a genuinely nice person trying to do the right thing.

ak

I agree with your motion for less hostile comments towards the jumper, but the woman sounds pretty hateful. She'd probably sue if her husband wasn't against the idea.

John L

Thanks, I'm glad you pointed that out, I just re-read it and her husband is actually the nice one. I don't think she's horrible either she's just grieving the lost of her car. I mean if she doesn't have full coverage she's out of a few thousand dollars through no fault of her own so I wouldn't blame her if she sued but I'm glad her husband really seems like a good, decent person and decided not to.

But either way I can't believe the hostility towards a man that obviously wasn't in his right mind. Whatever happened to empathy or sympathy?

longacre

I still don't buy that he jumped from the 39th floor.

manuelmontalvo

sue.

Kelles

Maria McCormack: "does he feel like an idiot?"

I think we've found our new Jersey Shore cast member!

seven

Sounds like a female George Costanza

GEORGE

Well I just got the estimate. It's going to cost more to fix that

roof than the car's worth, So I'm gonna go see the hospital

administrator today. Someone's paying for that damage and it's

not gonna be me!

JERRY

Ah, you're screwed.

GEORGE

I know, swan dives from twenty floors, lands right on to it. What

do I have a bulls eye on there? He couldn't move over two feet?

Land on the sidewalk. That's city property.

What are the chances, what are the odds? He couldn't do it again

if his life depended on it...

robingee

"That's where I come in... on SPLAT."

Guest

"even though insurance company Geico told him to sue Magill..."

that's one angry gecko.

Spirit of 76

No, it's a gecko that doesn't want to have to pay for a new car. The guy who trashed the car should be the guy who pays for it.

Guest

haha

i was just pointing out how different gecko is in reality apart from the commercial. my apologies.

joke FAIL

Radbecca

+4

Boogie Down

I hate both of the selfish idiots in this story (Magill and the female McCormack).

CR

Maria McCormack is an idiot, and is one of those people who think their car is really important and is a symbol that they've "made it." Truly a fool.

Also, Guy McCormack thinks he's not suing, but give it a week or two... the wife's bitching because she doesn't have her "baby"... expenses etc... I'm looking forward to reading the Post's story about their lawsuit.