Man survives fall from 17th floor at downtown Minneapolis hotel

(AP) 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.