A teenager is fighting for life after falling nine storeys from a block of flats hours after he finished a half marathon on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Tyler Calleja was found in the car park of the Essentia Building in Surfers Paradise at around 4.30am on Sunday, approximately 45 minutes after he landed on a vehicle.
The 18-year-old was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition with serious head and abdominal injuries, according to Channel Seven.
Calleja, who hails from Yeppoon, 670km north of Brisbane, remains in intensive care with severe brain trauma.
He is understood to have misplaced the key to his room and climbed a fence, accessed the fire escape, reached the roof of the building and tried climbing down to his apartment, the broadcaster reported.
‘Investigations indicate the man had returned to the apartment complex and attempted to gain entry to the building,’ Queensland police said in a statement.
Queensland teenager Tyler Calleja (pictured) is fighting for life with severe brain trauma after falling nine storeys from a block of flats on the Gold Coast
The 18-year-old had completed a half-marathon just hours before the horrific incident
Calleja fell from the Essentia building in Surfers Paradise (pictured) and was found at about 4.30am on Sunday after landing on a vehicle in the car park
‘It is believed the man fell while attempting to gain access to the unit where he was staying before falling into the car park area.’
In posts made on social media before the fall, Calleja revealed he had set a personal best time in the half marathon, beating his previous mark by 13 minutes.
‘Super stoked with that, especially considering I didn’t even get the chance to warm up,’ he captioned a post featuring a video of him preparing for and competing in the race.
Calleja also ran 100km in 24 hours in March in order to raise funds for the Queensland Children’s Hospital after being inspired by his mate’s fight against leukaemia.
News of Calleja’s plight saw friends and followers send messages of support to him on Instagram.
‘Pull through, man! Thinking of ya, much love and sending prayers,’ one wrote.
‘Sending prayers,’ another added.
