Man survives 16-story fall!

[dpbaker]

Oh my! Did you hear about this?

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/949072.html

Man survives 16-story fall

A Wisconsin man has multiple broken bones and injuries, officials said, after tumbling out ofa 17th-floor window at Minneapolis hotel.

By Tom Ford, Star Tribune

After a night out drinking, Joshua Hanson was horsing around with two friends on the 17th floor of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis early Saturday morning when he apparently lost his balance and crashed through a floor-to-ceiling window.

He fell 16 stories.

Hanson, 29, landed feet first on a roof overhang near the hotel's main entrance along the Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis police said, and he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.

Hospital officials weren't reporting on his condition Saturday night, but police and fire officials said he had multiple broken bones and internal injuries.

He must have "an angel on his shoulder or something," said Minneapolis police Lt. Dale Barsness. "He's a lucky guy."This is one of the most amazing reports I've ever read," said police Lt. Amelia Huffman.

Hanson, of Blair, Wis., had come to Minneapolis with friends for a four-day darts convention at the hotel.

According to police, Hanson and his buddies had been in St. Paul drinking at bars before they returned to the Hyatt in a taxi about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

They were apparently horsing around as an elevator brought them to the floor where they are staying, Barsness said. For some reason, Hanson bolted from the elevator and took off down a short hallway of rooms toward a window, then apparently stumbled, he said.

It appeared that Hanson fell forward a few feet from the side of the building and landed on what appeared to be metal material on the overhang, which extends out several feet and is a floor up from the street.

Compared with the concrete below, the surface probably had more give and apparently helped blunt the blow of the fall. Late Saturday morning, shards of glass were still littered around the collapsed area where he fell.

When rescue crews arrived, firefighters first had to extricate Hanson while paramedics worked to stabilize him, said Assistant Fire Chief Ulie Seal.

Hanson was strapped into a backboard and brought down to the street in a firetruck basket, Seal said. Hanson was conscious and communicating as he was taken off the overhang, according to the police report. KARE-11 TV reported Saturday night that doctors had put Hanson in an induced coma.

The window was double-paned, and there was a safety bar in front of the glass, said Tom Mason, general manager of the Hyatt.

Hotel officials will be investigating the windows there and "will take whatever steps we have to do to ensure safety," he said.

Of Hanson, Mason said that "we wish him a full recovery."

About 3,000 players from Minnesota and western Wisconsin are participating in the dart tournament, which features singles, doubles and team events. All eyes were on the 120 dartboards at the tournament on Saturday, but most people were buzzing about Hanson's extraordinary fall.

"I heard it when we were walking over here this morning," said Ryan Stumb of Mankato. "It's crazy. Most of us just sit here and have some fun."

Keith Hajny, who was selling darts for Doc's of Spring Lake Park, said he had been "catching tidbits" of the tale all day, but didn't know what had actually happened.

"If he makes it, it will be pretty incredible," Hajny said.

Staff writers Tony Kennedy and Linda Mack contributed to this report. Tom Ford

[Snowguy716]

I think the fact that he was drunk may have saved his life here. He probably didn't have the best reflexes and didn't tense up as much as someone that was sober would have. He also landed on the awning which probably was the 2nd thing that allowed him to survive. He must have really put some weight into that window, though.

[suburban george3]

Why I never stay in a 16 story hotel when I plan on getting extremely drunk!!

Seriously, I couldn't imagine falling 16 stories... lucky, lucky man.

[waccamatt]

The induced coma didn't sound too promising; I hope he makes it ok.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Well, cats have been known to survive falls of 40 stories, and they have a high survival rate between 7 and 32 stories. They survive by being exceptionally relaxed, I'm not sure a human could control himself to that degree.

[suburban george3]

Well, cats have been known to survive falls of 40 stories, and they have a high survival rate between 7 and 32 stories. They survive by being exceptionally relaxed, I'm not sure a human could control himself to that degree.

[Charlotteman]

I've heard that about cats too, moonshield.

I once read of a kitty who fell off a 35th floor condo balcony in Manhattan. The lucky fellow only sustained a collapsed lung and one chipped tooth!

[cityboi]

lets just say a gaurdian angel was looking out for him. I cant see how he survived or without life threating injuries but it happened.

[Pillsbury]

Amazing story. Surprisingly, I used to work on the 16th floor of a building here. I used to walk out on the balcony and look down and think, "wow, that is a long way." That's just wild.

[cityboi]

Amazing story. Surprisingly, I used to work on the 16th floor of a building here. I used to walk out on the balcony and look down and think, "wow, that is a long way." That's just wild.