Death of Garry Hoy
1993 death by falling in Toronto, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Garry Hoy (January 28, 1954 – July 9, 1993) was a Canadian lawyer who died when he fell from the 24th floor of his office building at the Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto, Ontario. In an attempt to prove to a group of prospective articling students that the building's glass windows were unbreakable—a stunt he had performed without incident many times before—he threw his body against the glass. True to Hoy's assertion, the window did not break; instead, the entire window yielded whole, popping out of its frame, and Hoy fell to his death.[1][2]
Garry Hoy | |
|---|---|
Hoy in 1979 | |
| Born | January 28, 1954 |
| Died | July 9, 1993 (aged 39) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Cause of death | Fell to his death from the 24th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Centre |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Employer | Holden Day Wilson |
Background
Hoy was a partner at law firm Holden Day Wilson in Toronto, specialising in corporate and securities law.[1][4] While giving a tour of the Toronto-Dominion Centre to a group of dozens of articling students, he attempted to demonstrate the strength of the structure's window glass by slamming himself into a window. He had performed this stunt many times in the past, bouncing harmlessly off the glass. After one attempt with the same result, Hoy tried again, but the window separated from its frame, and he fell to his death from the 24th floor.[4][5]
Structural engineer Bob Greer said "I don't know of any building code in the world that would allow a 73 kg (160 lb) man to run up against a glass and withstand it."[6]
The shock of losing one of its most successful and popular lawyers was a contributing factor in the decline and closure in 1996 of Holden Day Wilson, which at the time was the largest law firm closure in Canada.[4][7]
In popular culture
Hoy's experience was featured in numerous television shows, including MythBusters, The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd, and 1000 Ways to Die (in the episode "Unforced Errors").[6]
Hoy's death was also adapted as a fictionalized plot point in the fifth season of Canadian dramedy series Workin' Moms and the second season of Canadian comedy series Billable Hours. In the opening of the second season, episode 1, "Birthday Suits", a lawyer attempts to demonstrate the strength of the office building windows by throwing himself against one of them, but the window shatters and he falls to his death.[8]
Across the internet however, numerous sources incorrectly use an image of an Australian man, based in Buffalo, New York as of 2018,[9] with a similar name.[10]