digg

Facebook Connect Join Digg About

Balloonist Survives 9,000-Foot Fall at S. Carolina Festival

foxnews.com — 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...

Who dugg this? Made popular Sep 2, 2008

Digg DudeWhat is Digg?

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Digg surfaces the best stuff as submitted and voted on by the community. Take the Tour to learn more.

50 Comments

show profanity settings
expand all
  • Prismatic, on 09/02/2008, -1/+42Over 9000!!?
  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -0/+18Sorry, no video, but I have a transcript:

    AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH (snap) whooaaaaa (thud) owww
  • noahgelman, on 09/02/2008, -0/+17See? Jason Statham could have survived his fall in Crank, he just isn't going to feel good for a while
  • dudefather, on 09/02/2008, -0/+12WHAT NINE THOUSAND!
  • dmclark442, on 09/02/2008, -0/+10Here's your video. http://www.wyff4.com/news/17351848/detail.html
    As a local Hot Air Balloon Pilot in the area, this was scary to watch on the news. I wasn't at attendance at the rally this year, but many close friends are. It's a miracle he survived.

  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -5/+15Wow. Fox News on Digg. Hell must have frozen over...
  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -1/+8Video or it didn't happen
  • isiz, on 09/02/2008, -1/+7I never thought I'd see the day when Fox News makes the front page of Digg.
  • EnderMB, on 09/02/2008, -2/+7For all those burying this because it's from Fox News, ***** grow up. I know they're as corrupt as a top Italian Football Manager, but perhaps it's a good idea to actually support REAL news coming from them instead of whining and crying over the source.
  • PhoenixMalFet, on 09/02/2008, -0/+4The title is not misleading. The story is exactly what it says. Quit being a morbid ***** and hoping for the worst. Its more amazing that he survived. You try surviving from that height.

    I was there flying as well that weekend. What you guys don't realize is that he is the luckiest man alive now; the tree was 10 feet from power lines, a road, and a school, and very far away from other trees. And the gas tanks also managed to not fall out of the basket with him, not ruptured. Wind sheers are most likely the culprit, not pilot error.
  • stealthboy, on 09/02/2008, -0/+3you fail at grammar
  • FUR10N, on 09/02/2008, -0/+3nothing about your comment has anything to do with this story
  • peestandingup, on 09/02/2008, -0/+3Yeah, that video shows the wonderful, wide open prairies of South Carolina all right. :-/
  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -0/+2If, according to DIGG, Fox news is as unpopular as Obama is popular, us republicans have nothing to worry about.
  • brummers, on 09/02/2008, -0/+2He survived without a scratch by stepping out of the basket a moment before it hit the ground. Bugs Bunny style.
  • salinemist, on 09/02/2008, -2/+4Question: What is the most watched cable news network?
  • ripple123, on 09/02/2008, -2/+4its like a tasty burger coming out of a *****. it might be perfectly fine, but you still wont eat it cause it came out of a known source of *****. Thats also why its pointless being interviewed on fox news. the brown starfish cant hear you. it just sprays you with *****, and the whole scatwatching world gets to watch. Assburgers. nom nom nom.
  • worldchanger, on 09/02/2008, -0/+2I'm no psychic, but I don't think you're gaining many friends here on Digg.
  • mjpark, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Here's a before pic that I shot last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikepark/617048977/
  • ATLien74, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1Well, it isn't a political story... so how could it be biased?
  • Diran, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1So what you are saying is that the man did not survive the fall?
  • newl, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1Couldn't have. He wasn't in Kalamazoo at Burger King when this happened, he was in South Carolina. =)
  • Plotinus, on 09/02/2008, -1/+2Look, you may be correct but lets be honest, it's fox. ***** 'em.
    Buried.
  • Sabretou, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1YouTube pulled it for graphic detail.
  • nydwarf, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1Fox News? Video, or it didn't happen.
  • Katana314, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1One good deed is not enough to make up for a life of villainy.
    "Though it seems enough to condemn him."
    Indeed.
  • TBNK, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1but but but... i like stories of mutilated bodies from retards performing stupid acts which end up killing themselves.
  • EnnuiStudent, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1If I fell 2 ft and your mother's vagina broke my fall, is that not falling 2 ft?
  • mrgreenjeans, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1It ran out of gas just before impact.
  • human01, on 11/27/2008, -0/+0Ohh what a sad incident,but however the balloonist has survived.Thanks to god.
    http://hotairballoonrides.com.au/hot-air-balloonin ...
  • PHJames88, on 09/02/2008, -0/+0I hope the balloon is now in the balloon room in West Heaven.
  • uthallan, on 09/02/2008, -1/+1Si, Señor!
  • primary0, on 09/02/2008, -1/+19000 foot or 9000 feet?
  • kac432, on 10/10/2008, -0/+0Why does everyone need a video for it to actually happen? This poor man could have been dead and everyone is joking about it? This is not a joking a matter. He is very lucky to be alive today and you should all be feeling guilty that you are joking about this. But for those of you sick people that need to watch it yourself, dmclark442's video shows it happening.
  • Enron, on 09/02/2008, -1/+1I thought it said "Michelin man" survived the fall.
  • kac432, on 10/10/2008, -0/+0It did happen. I was there when it happened.
  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -0/+0all that was left of the balloon was a hunka hunka burnin' pile of trash
  • douce2, on 09/02/2008, -2/+2Vegeta! Vegeta! Vegeta!
  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -3/+3Best news coverage, most beautiful women (just like most conservative women), very nice format, great format. What other news organization even comes close? The only thing that liberals run well is to the welfare office. They screwed up air america in how many markets? LOL!!!
  • k3xiceman, on 09/02/2008, -1/+1No video? Buried. Bury me, I don't care. "Nobody reads anymore" - Steve Jobs on Kindle.
  • RoryTheRuffian, on 09/02/2008, -3/+2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK5eMwUd6-M
    HA HA! I bet u this is how he sounded!
  • Bromskloss, on 09/02/2008, -2/+1pilot Chuck Walz broke his leg and, hrm, "Elvis"
  • TBNK, on 09/02/2008, -5/+4Buried for a misleading title - a tree branch stopped him 10 feet above the ground.
    Sure it still did damage - but its not like he fell the 9,000 feet directly to the ground.
  • MrWally, on 09/02/2008, -3/+2I think falling would be a sweet way to go.


    As in, go off and die, I mean.
  • RealmDown, on 09/02/2008, -3/+1They see themselves in it as self fulfilling. What goes up ....

  • surfernerd6987, on 09/02/2008, -5/+2Please note he fell 10ft from the tree. His balloon fell from the sky at 9000ft and landed in a tree to which he fell from. The guy didn't fall 9000ft or he'd be dead no questions asked.
  • inactive, on 09/02/2008, -6/+2the actual video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJSFxw6xsSE&feature ...
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 53 of 53 discussions

  • Add a Comment

    Login or register to comment!
    Or, sign-in super fast with your Facebook account ...


© Digg Inc. 2009 — Content created and posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain | Terms of Use Updated | Privacy Policy
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.