How Fast is 10 mph?

Stuntman to talk about Empire State Building caper


"A professor says it's possible for an object falling from the top of New York City's Empire State Building to hit the ground despite it's wedding-cake shape... A 10-mph breeze could have blown Corliss sideways far enough for him to clear the lower parts of the building..."

" that's roughly the speed with which you would swing a hammer"

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
By Dec 15, Up to two pages (plus diagrams and calulations) examining the following:

IS this true? How far away from the building will he travel with that initial velocity? Does it seem likely that he COULD achive that initial velocity? Is it failr to compare a person jumping from a building with the swing of a hammer? Why or why not?