User blog comment:GunjiBunny/ Sam Patch's Pinky Ring/@comment-5782071-20160425013740/@comment-24588058-20160429203757

I believe that the ladder was part of the reason for his death. The ladder, I believe, has the effect of causing users of the ladder to become less stable, and also increases fear of heights. Now, that in and of itself would not be enough to cause most people to fall - since the ladder would not break - but the effects of the ring coupled with the effects of the ladder caused the unsteady fall, hence his death. The ring's effects weren't changed, because I think the ring became an artifact around the time of his second jump off Passaic Falls (so approximately two years). Normally, the ring's effects are more or less negated - probably because of the skill he had in jumping, he unknowingly overcame the downsides during the stunts, affecting him more day-to-day. However, pulling the ladder into the picture, the effects of the ring became active where they normally wouldn't, causing the fall.