Balloonist Survives 9,000-Foot Fall at Festival
Authorities say a Michigan man survived after his hot air balloon plunged thousands of feet at a South Carolina festival because the basket caught a tree limb 10 feet before it hit the ground.
Great Southeast Balloon Fest officials say pilot Chuck Walz, of Munith, Mich., broke his leg and pelvis Sunday morning, but has undergone surgery and his recovery is promising.
Anderson Fire Chief Jack Abraham says Walz's balloon may have been 9,000 feet in the air when it deflated.
Abraham says
the balloon's basket was skewered by a tree branch 10 feet from ground, stopping its fall. Walz then fell from the basket to the ground. He was conscious when rescuers arrived.
Federal aviation officials are investigating the incident.
.Sex on the beach
Can a couple legally get frisky on the UK's shores?
Two Britons have appeared in court in Dubai after allegedly having sex on a beach in the Muslim emirate. What would happen if a couple got frisky on a beach in the UK?
The sandy shores of a beautiful beach might seem like the ideal setting for a romantic rendezvous
But for 30-somethings Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors, getting carried away in the heat of the moment could come at a heavy price.
The pair - who are not a couple - were arrested in Dubai on 5 July, and charged with indecent behavior, being drunk in public and having unmarried sex. They admit drinking but deny the other charges. If found guilty at next week's trial, the punishment is between three months and six years in jail.
.Fisherman big catch...himself!The man had a miraculous escape after catching himself in a freak fishing accident.
Peter Inskip, 42, had to be cut off his own line after a two-inch lead weight shot through his neck and lodged at the top of his chest.
The dad-of-one was fishing for carp at a lake near his home when he tried to cast his line out into the water.
As he went to flick it forward, the missile-shaped weight caught in undergrowth behind him.
Instead of untangling it, the frustrated fisherman tugged as hard as he could.
It broke free and rocketed towards him — going straight into his skin "like a bullet".
Shocked Peter staggered to a nearby house to get help. Paramedics cut the fishing line before rushing him to hospital.
The engineer said: "I could see the line hanging out of a perfectly formed hole.
"It was still attached to my rod, which was in my hand, and I could feel the weight in the back of my throat.
"It really was the most strange feeling — I had caught myself.
PICTURE and More."DON’T DO DRUG’S"......"Why You Ask?"
Amy Winehouse Could Be Brain-Damaged From Drugs
Shocking details of Amy Winehouse’s drug use emerged Sunday night — including a report that she binged on crystal meth and may have brain damage after a 36-hour marijuana marathon.
The singer, 24, suffered two major overdoses, with such bad convulsions that they were "like a scene from 'The Exorcist.'"
Her body is so frail from drug use that doctors were scared she would break bones during a fit.
A close friend of Amy’s warned medics that one more overdose will probably kill her.
.Hot coffee saves woman from car-jackerA 60-year-old Winnipeg woman successfully battled a car-jacker this week, armed only with a cup of coffee.
Sandy Bruderer was driving to work early Wednesday and was stopped at a red light on Burrows Avenue at Arlington Street when a man with a knife opened her car door and ordered her to get out.
Bruderer instead started screaming and leaned on the horn.
"Then I realize I'm leaning on the horn like this because I've got hot, hot coffee. So wham, I just flung that coffee at him, and I know I got him, because there was no coffee in the van,"
"I just decided, what, you little punk, you're not going to get the better of me.
I might be 60 ... but I just fought with everything in me."
He takes after his mother.
