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Man survives fall from 17th floor

2007-06-06 10:52:40

Sat Jan 20 2007, 11:36 PM ET

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 and fire

officials said he had multiple broken bones and internal injuries.

The man must have "an angel on his shoulder or something," said police Lt. Dale

Barsness. "He's a lucky guy."

According to a police report, Hanson and two friends returned from a night of

drinking at 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, landing on the roof overhang one floor up from the street.

The window was double-paned and had a safety bar, said Tom Mason, general

manager of the Hyatt.

Police said Hanson was conscious and communicating when he was taken off the

overhang.

"This has never happened before," said Mason, who added that hotel officials

will investigate and take whatever steps to ensure the hotel's safety.