Snow falling off roof buries man, pummels 4 others

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Snow falling off a Boston-area ice rink roof buried a man and pummeled four other people Wednesday as they were walking on a path near the rink, police said.

The man was partially dug out by his brother and a rink employee before firefighters arrived to free him, according to employee Robert Biasella. Two people were taken to the hospital for evaluation but no one was seriously hurt, authorities said.

Police spokesman Jeremy Warnick said the five were walking on a path between the Simoni Ice Skating Arena in Cambridge and sports playing fields when they had the "unfortunate luck" of being in the spot where the snow fell off the roof at about 6:30 p.m.

Biasella said a woman came in "frantically asking for help," and he and his supervisor ran outside. Biasella said he saw a young woman crying, as she was being helped out of the snow, and saw a man in the snow.

"We took shovels and were digging frantically," he said.

He said that he helped free a man who was waist-high in snow and that man used a shovel to find his brother, who was buried. Biasella said they managed to clear the snow around him and rescuers then arrived.

"We just did whatever we could to help," Biasella said.

Fire officials said the roof appeared undamaged. The path is a popular route to a nearby shopping area.