They weren't that well built to take a fall. Bad luck but there are more out there.
A friend gave me an old Sony HandyCam Hi8 CCD-TRV108. I planned to use it to transfer some ancient 8mm tapes I found to my computer, since it has S-video out and I have a TV card. However, while charging it, the cord caught my foot and the camera fell. It seemed fine at first, but when I came home hours later the casette compartment was stuck open with some motor twitching, I assume trying to close the compartment. Now the compartment is stuck half way open/shut, and the camera won't power on.
Is there a fix for this, or is it bricked? And is it common for these devices to get destroyed so easily? It fell 2 feet to the carpeted floor; I commonly drop my smartphone 3-4 feet onto concrete without suffering damage.
Also, in lieu of the demise of my new camera, what is the best way to get digital copies of these old 8mm tapes? Is it worth it to track down another camera or player? Or is it safe enough to send the tapes out to someone with a conversion setup and get them done by a third party?
Thanks!

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic