Man survives 17-story fall (Drunken Antics in the Twin Cities)

Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) ^ | 1/20/07 | Tom Ford - Staff Reporter

[MplsSteve]

A 29-year-old man who was apparently horsing around with some friends crashed through a window and fell 16 stories at the downtown Minneapolis Hyatt Regency early Saturday morning.

His most severe injury? 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."

The man, identified by a police report as Joshua S. Hanson, landed on a roof overhang near the hotel's main entrance along the Nicollet Mall, police said.

[True Republican Patriot]

He is a DEMORAT and GOD didn't want him!! at least yet!!
and the Devil didn't want one from thr looney Left !!
so he is still here.......

[Lokibob]

3 guys approach St. Peter.
St. Peter asks them how they died.

The first says "I was exercising on my balcony, naked, when I slipped and fell. I grabbed the railing on the 15th floor and was hanging there, when this mad man starts hitting my hands. I lost my grip and fell to the ground, but landed on an awning, and slipped to the sidewalk, unhurt. Just as I got up, a refrigerator came crashing down and killed me".

The 2nd says "My girlfriend was cheating on me. I rushed into her apartment to find a naked guy hanging on her balcony rail. I hit his hands till he fell. He hit the awning and fell to the sidewalk, unhurt. I was so mad I grabbed the refrigerator and threw it off the balcony. The cord wrapped around my leg and I fell with the refrigerator."

The 3rd says " I was sitting in a refrigerator, buck ass naked...."

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Usually hotels, bldgs have special glass in windows that high up just to avoid this type of thing.

[BulletBobCo]

I hate it when that happens.

[Cicero]

I should think this must qualify for the Guiness Book of Records, although they may not want to encourage anyone to try for 19 floors.

[freepersup]

The body position on impact was critical. He must have landed predominantly feet down/head high.

The surface that he impacted was flexible enough to absorb much of the fall and subsequently the impact's energy.

Had he struck the awning head down, instead of breaking his leg, he may have broken his neck. Big difference.

Likewise, had he missed the awning and met with curbing, gutter, sidewalk, parking lot, wrought iron fence, etc., the outcome would have likely been much different.

His fall rate at impact was approx. 60 MPH (plus) and it took the lucky man about 4 seconds to impact the awning. The total distance fallen and the 'limited' impact speed were factors permitting survival.

Lady luck was on his side.

[beyond the sea]

"This has never happened before," said Tom Mason, general manager of the Hyatt.

..... and won't ever happen again.

[robertpaulsen]

"Usually hotels, bldgs have special glass in windows that high up just to avoid this type of thing."

It was. Double pane with a bar in front of it.

Obviously defective.

[jonno]

chuckles!

[gcruse]

Wow.

Here's a guy whose state of drunkeness resulted in relaxation that saved from the death he wouldn't have been risking if he hadn't be drunk.

It's a moebius ring, or an Escher thing.

[UB355]

It was the liquor

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Falling off a golf cart can kill someone, so this is amazing.

I've read stories online about people who landed from a fall from thousands of feet (from planes) who lived!

[gcruse]

I remember reading about a stewardess who rode down from altitude in the piece of tail that had broken from the plane. She lived to tell about it.

[Lucas McCain]

I'd bet his bowels were empty by the time he hit the ground.

[stumpy]

The worse I did was walk off the roof of a bar on Okinawa looking for a taxi after drinking "mojo" (it was $1.00 per Typhoon fifth, to good a bargain to pass up)... Semper Fi.

[ditto h]

I suppose he thinks he will be safe in the future if he only goes to the 15th floor while drunk.

[citizencon]

gravity malfunction

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL! Never heard that one. Thanks! :)

[Dysart]

[WorkingClassFilth]

I suspect his impact was deflected somewhat by the angle of the awning as well as the structure absorbing impact. This scenario is standard script material in Hollywood, but it has some basis in reality. I once read a story of a parachutist (actually a flier in WWII) that bailed out with a malfunctioning chute. He hit the side of a mountain and the angle and the snow soaked up the impact energy. He slid down the side of the mountain some distance and, to memory, was rescued with minimal injuries. Not a good plan to duplicate, though. This imbecile had better become Mother Teresa's equal or he'll have some 'splainin' to do.