An experiment highlights the tragic incident when a lawyer determined to show that a 24th-story window was unbreakable met with a fatal accident.
Garry Hoy, aged 38, was a lawyer at the Toronto-based firm Holden Day Wilson in July 1993. Prior to his legal career, Hoy earned a degree in engineering, focusing on building safety and compliance.
His fascination with modern construction techniques, especially their durability, was evident.
In his later years, he became particularly fixated on the windows of his office building’s 24th floor, curious about their ability to withstand forceful impacts.
Intrigued by this, he began to physically throw himself against the windows as a demonstration of their strength.
For a while, these windows held up without issue, until the fateful day of July 9, 1993.
A simulation video posted on YouTube by Zack D Films reconstructs the sequence of events leading to Hoy’s tragic death.
The footage depicts Hoy at his firm’s welcome party within their conference room. As he had done numerous times before, he dashed towards the window to illustrate its robustness.
By frequently performing this trick, he likely gained confidence in the window’s durability.
When his body hit the glass, intending to showcase its unbreakable design, he certainly did not expect to feel the rush of cold air.
While his first attempt went according to plan, it was the second attempt that resulted in disaster.
The video captures the moment Hoy was ejected as the window pane detached, sending the lawyer plummeting 24 stories.
From such a height, there was little hope for survival, and he tragically died upon impact with the ground below.
A structural engineer remarked to the Toronto Star: “I don’t know of any building code in the world that would allow a 160-pound man to run up against a glass window and withstand it.”
Ultimately, Hoy’s death was deemed ‘accidental auto-defenestration’ (causing oneself to fall out of a window).
He was remembered fondly as ‘one of the best and brightest’ at his firm.
Ironically, Hoy’s death underscored his point.
The glass itself didn’t shatter from his impact; rather, it was the stability of the pane that failed.
Viewers of the clip had several reactions to this unfortunate event.
One person remarked: “The students learned a very valuable lesson that day…”
Another noted: “Imagine cheering to your teacher falling out of a window.”