Man falls through ceiling, dies getting Christmas decorations from attic

A 44-year-old Highland Village man died while getting Christmas decorations out of his attic.

Jay Hunsucker died when he took a wrong step in his attic and fell through the ceiling to the floor. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner said Hunsucker passed away on Friday at an area hospital due to multiple blunt force injuries due to a fall inside his house.

Hunsucker’s family said Christmas was one of his favorite times of the year and that it’s devastating to be planning a funeral instead of celebrating during the holiday season.

Hunsucker was home with his wife Alicia and one of his three daughters, a teenager, when he fell more than 20 feet onto the floor of their foyer. 

Hunsucker's best friend from college said the 44-year-old was a title company sales manager and he was known for spreading joy to others.

“The outdoor lights have been up since before Thanksgiving,” Hudson Floyd said. “We were giving him a hard time about that one ... making us look bad.”

Highland Village officials said they publicized the death to remind people to think about safety and precaution while decorating for the holidays. They said emergency responders have had three deaths in the past five years from people falling from an attic or ladder.

“Sadly the holiday season is not immune from tragedy,” officials said in a statement. “Please do all that you can do to stay safe when exposing yourselves to the risk of a potential fall.”