- Garry Hoy
Garry Hoy (1955 – 9 July 1993) was a lawyer for the law firm of
Holden Day Wilson inToronto . Hoy became famous for an accident in 1993, where he threw himself through a glass wall on the 24th story of theToronto-Dominion Centre in an attempt to prove that the glass was "unbreakable." [ [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/window.asp Snopes.com] on Garry Hoy] He had apparently attempted this stunt many times in the past, having previously bounced off the glass, harmlessly. On July 9, 1993, he attempted his trick for a group of summerintern s when the glass broke and he fell to his death.In the words of
Toronto Police Service Detective Mike Stowell:"At this Friday night party, Mr. Hoy did it again and bounced off the glass the first time. However, he did it a second time and this time crashed right through the middle of the glass."
Hoy's death contributed to the closing of Holden Day Wilson in 1996, at the time it was the largest law firm closure in Canada.Jaquie McNish, [Law firm Goodman and Carr shutting down] , "Globe and Mail", March 14, 2007, Accessed October 6, 2008.]
In popular culture
Hoy's "experiment" has been recreated by "
Mythbusters " in the episode "Vacuum Toilet, Biscuit Bazooka, Leaping Lawyer".For his dramatic death, Hoy was recognized with a Darwin Award [ [http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1996-01.html Darwin Awards] Lawyer aloft] in 1996.
References
ources
*
The Globe and Mail , December 18th, 1995
*Toronto Star , July 12th, 1993
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