A DRUNK Hamilton man who climbed a 3.5-metre-high roof of a retail shop early Sunday morning and fell onto bitumen has been described as the luckiest man who went to the Dunkeld races.
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Sergeant Darren Sadler said the 20-year-old climbed the roof of a Hamilton store at the rear of Thompson Street in light rain about 3am and lost his footing.
“There were initially fears he had been seriously injured. An ambulance was called and he was taken to Hamilton hospital, but after being assessed it became apparent he had only suffered minor injuries,” he said.
“The incident highlights that people make poor decisions when they are alcohol-affected.
“He just made a stupid decision when he was drunk and egged on by friends. It very easily could have been a far different and tragic outcome.”
Sergeant Sadler said people had died after being involved in assaults, falling over and hitting their heads on hard surfaces.
“This bloke fell from 3.5 metres onto bitumen. He was certainly the big winner from the weekend,” he said.
The police officer said people who went to the Dunkeld races and after-races activities were generally well behaved.
“There were a few spot fires that had to be put out at a couple of venues on Saturday night. Three or four people were removed from licensed premises,” Sergeant Sadler said.
“You are always going to have something going on when you have so many intoxicated people in one place. There were no assaults or serious injuries. There was a bit of push and shove. Two people were warned about being drunk and two $700-plus penalty notices were issued for offensive behaviour,” he said.
Senior Sergeant Gerard Kelly said three people were evicted from the Dunkeld racecourse and police were still making inquiries about a minor scuffle in the car park.
“There were no arrests at the racecourse, although three people were evicted. The first man was removed from the track for drunken, idiotic behaviour about the same time as the first race,” he said.