Man Survives Fall From 17th Floor

[KRAMER5150]

MINNEAPOLIS - A man crashed through a double-paned window in a hotel on Saturday and plummeted 16 floors _ but survived when he was caught by a roof overhang.

Joshua S. Hanson, 29, of Blair, Wis., was taken to a hospital. Police said his most serious injury from the fall was a broken leg.

The man must have "an angel on his shoulder or something," said Minneapolis police Lt. Dale Barsness. "He's a lucky guy."

According to a police report, Hanson and two friends returned from a night of drinking about 1:30 a.m Saturday. When the elevator reached the 17th floor, Hanson ran down a short hallway toward a floor-to-ceiling window, Barsness said. He apparently lost his balance and crashed through the glass, then fell 300 feet.

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

"This has never happened before," said Mason, who added that hotel officials will investigate and take whatever steps to ensure the hotel's safety.

[Wolfgang_'99]

Wow, he is so lucky to be alive!

[Axxman300]

He most be watching "24" too.

[AT]

This happened only about three miles from where I live.

I almost slipped on the ice yesterday, but at the last minute I caught my balance. Do you think I managed to get under that "guardian angel" umbrella? A different situation? Falling 17 stories or slipping on ice in a parking lot aren't the same?

[WinterlessIceness]

I've heard a lot of stories when drunk people would fall from double digit floors and have little to no injuries.

[Viking]

Being drunk keeps them relaxed. How many times have you heard about a drunk driver causing an accident and then being the only survivor? It happens quite a bit.

[ZeoBandit]

I'm sure a big part of the reason he survived was because of the alcohol. It relaxes you so much that your body doesn't stiffen up during the fall, hence fewer injuries.

The roof overhang helped too!