Jan. 21, 2007 - --A Wisconsin man somehow survived crashing through a double-paned hallway window at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Minneapolis and falling 16 stories early Saturday morning.

The victim was identified in media reports as Joshua S. Hanson, 29, of Blair, Wis., between Eau Claire and La Crosse.

Hanson -- visiting the city with two friends to attend a dart tournament -- was conscious when rescue personnel reached him on top of a roof overhang facing Nicollet Mall, about one story above the street, said Lt. Amelia Huffman.

The overhang apparently broke Hanson's fall, police said.

The three men had been out drinking the evening of the accident, Huffman said. Police received a call at 1:30 a.m. Saturday that Hanson had been running down the hall from the elevator on the 17th floor when he somehow fell through the window.

He was in serious to critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center on Saturday with multiple injuries, including a broken leg, police said.

Hanson and his two friends were guests at the hotel for the tournament, though it wasn't clear whether they were participants or spectators of the event, police said.

Police Lt. Dale Barsness said Hanson was extraordinarily lucky to have survived.

"This guy had a guardian angel on his shoulder or something," Barsness said.

Tom Mason, general manager for the Hyatt, referred questions about the fall to police. He did say there was no apparent problem with the window, which is now being repaired. He said hotel staff hoped for a speedy recovery for Hanson.

The darts tournament is an annual statewide event, put on by the Minnesota Operators of Music and Amusements, that began Thursday at the hotel, according to a local Web site. The rest of the tournament will take place as scheduled through today, Mason said.

Emily Gurnon can be reached at [email protected] or 651-228-5522.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

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