In 2016 my husband and I traveled to New Zealand for a series of work-related events and completed a four-city tour. On the closing night of the work events, a celebratory dinner was planned for all the participants and their family and friends. It was held in a theater that was not in use. We entered the completely dark space through a stage door and had no idea of the floor plan.
The dining tables were set up in an area that was well lit, but we were unaware that we were on a raised stage because the rest of the space was blacked out.
The dinner was enjoyed by all, and as the hour was growing late, my husband and I decided to say our goodbyes and go back to our hotel. I was going from table to table saying goodnight and goodbye, when, to the best of my memory, I heard someone yell, “Look out!” At the same moment I realized I was about to fall backward off the stage into the darkened space below, a drop-off of about five and a half feet. I somehow managed to fall forward instead. I remember yelling “Oh God!” as I landed on the hardwood floor with my outstretched hands and my right knee breaking the fall.
