History Main / StaircaseTumble

* In ''WebAnimationTheGentlemanPirate'', Stede Bonnet's father tripped over a toy pirate ship and tumbled down the stairs, breaking his neck when he crashed headfirst into the wall.

* ''WebAnimation/MangaSoprano'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ot5-QB3mXg Hidemi]] shoved a pregnant Erica down a flight of stairs thinking she was the one who "stole" Alto from her. However, her plans are foiled because Kanade (who was also pregnant) was in the way and catched Erica at the right moment.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': This happens to [=SpongeBob=] in the episode "Can You Spare a Dime?" where he takes good care of Squidward at his house until he finds a new job. He falls down the stairs after Squidward reminds him that he forgot to turn off the light.

* Played with ''horribly'' in ''Anime/{{Another}}''. ''Twice'':

* In ''Manga/CandyCandy's'' BoardingSchool arc, Candy has [[HeroicBSOD a panic attack]] upon having traumatic flashbacks of [[spoiler:her FirstLove Anthony's death]] and, while in her unstable state, she falls down a flight of stairs outside the school. [[SecondLove Terry Granchester]] finds her passed out at the stair end and [[BridalCarry takes her in his arms]] to the infirmary, where the nuns take care of her.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': In the manga, Shinji is washing the stairs [[note]]in Japan, students are tasked with the clean up of the school - and since this is Tokyo 3...[[/note]] when Toji starts demonstrating how to secretly perv on the girls, only to find himself staring up the skirt of the furious ClassRepresentative Hikari. He turns to flee from her wrath, only to knock [[ButtMonkey Shinji]] downstairs with him. Hikari then bundles Shinji off to get patched up [[{{Tsundere}} while grilling him on Toji's feelings for her]].
* ''LightNovel/NinjaSlayer'': Cockatrice falls down many flights of stairs after the eponymous character slices his hands off.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': In "Labyrinth Runners," Hunter tries to determine whether a flight of stairs are real or illusory. He takes one step to check and immediately tumbles down them. He concludes they're real once he reaches the bottom.

* A RunningGag in ''LightNovel/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'', where its characters (especially the heroine Emi) exhibit the unfortunate tendency of falling over the staircase leading to [[InsistentTerminology Maou's Fortress]] (actually a small apartment).

* ''VideoGame/MobEnforcer'' have a special animation during shootouts, for enemies killed when atop staircases. They'll tumble and roll all the way down automatically, for you to collect their ammo when they hit the bottom.

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* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': When Harry and Ron try to enter the girls' dormitory, the stairs flatten into a steep slope, causing them to fall back down. Hermione explains that it's an ancient school rule that boys are not allowed in the girls' dormitory, despite the opposite not being true, because the founders of Hogwarts thought that boys are less trustworthy than girls.

* ''Series/{{Bottom}}''. After getting hold of a video camera and deciding to make a documentary, Richie tries to do a WalkAndTalk down a staircase, loses his footing because he's not watching his feet and ends up tumbling down the stairs and going [[{{squick}} headfirst into the toilet]]. So they decide to make home accident videoes instead.

* ''Film/HomeAlone'': Both of the Wet Bandits fall down icy cement steps. Harry falls off the front porch steps (twice!) while Marv slides down from ground level to basement level.

* ''Film/CarlitosWay'': While kicking Benny Blanco out of his club, Carlito warns him to never come back with an ImpliedDeathThreat, but this does nothing but infuriate Benny into threatening him back, prompting Carlito to roughly slap him, sending him rolling painfully down a narrow staircase.

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--> '''Indy:''' *falling down stairs* ''[[SkywardScream DAAAAAAD!]]''
--> '''Henry Jones, Sr.:''' ...a solution presents itself!
* ''Film/{{Infamous}}'': When his father attacks Arielle, Dean throws him off her. The older man falls down the staircase and [[DeathByFallingOver breaks his neck]].

* In 1946, British actor David Niven and his wife Primula Rollo were attending a party at actor Tyrone Power's house in Beverly Hills. During a game of hide and seek, Rollo opened what she believed was a closet door and ducked inside; unfortunately, the door led to Power's basement down a steep stone staircase, and Rollo died of a fractured skull and brain lacerations.

See also DeathByFallingOver (a possible result of this), MindYourStep (a possible cause) and SurpriseSlideStaircase (on which people don't accidentally lose their step because the staircase does it deliberately). Creatures or devices that can expect this every time they attempt to use stairs, fittingly enough, CantUseStairs.