Witness account raises questions after fatal fall in Vilnius

A witness account of a man’s fatal fall from a balcony in central Vilnius has raised questions about the emergency response, LRT reports. Police say they cannot discuss the officers’ specific actions because a pre-trial investigation is under way.

The man, born in 1990, was found dead on a pavement near an apartment building at the intersection of Gedimino Avenue and Vasario 16-osios Street, near Lukiškės Square, on Saturday. Police said initial information indicated he had fallen from the third floor. An investigation was opened to establish the cause of death.

Vilnius resident Gintaras Furmanavičius wrote on social media that he saw a person on a balcony on the building’s third or fourth floor who appeared to need help. He said officers tried to enter through a locked stairwell door, then two officers stood on opposite sides of the building, with one speaking on the phone. An ambulance arrived, and the man fell from the balcony some time later, according to Furmanavičius.

He estimated that about 10 minutes passed between the officers’ arrival and the fall. Other witnesses told news outlet 15min they had heard a “terrible sound”.

Readers asked whether emergency services had done everything possible to help the man, including whether a safety net could have been used to catch him or soften his fall.

Vilnius County Police Headquarters said officers follow approved standards that set out first-aid measures and how they should be applied. Depending on the circumstances and available resources, officers may try to establish contact, calm a person and persuade them not to take dangerous actions. Tactical measures are selected after assessing the situation and risks, the police said, adding that some details are not made public.

Police said cooperation between emergency services is important and that all relevant services had been sent to the scene. They declined to comment on what happened or on the officers’ actions while the investigation continues.

The Fire and Rescue Department told LRT that rescue teams use equipment including fire-truck ladders and aerial platforms for work at height. In some cases, they can also use inflatable rescue cushions, sometimes called trampolines. The department said each high-altitude rescue operation is assessed individually.