Woman, 82, Falls From 3rd Floor Apartment, Survives
WINONA, Minn. (WCCO) -- An 82-year-old Winona woman survived after falling from her third floor apartment Tuesday.
According to neighbors, the woman ended up falling on soft dirt and small rocks on the side of the building, which may have contributed to her surviving.
"It's hard to say what happened. It's just very, very freaky, that's all I can say," said Kathryn Dontje, who lives in the Winona Arms apartment building and was home when the woman fell.
Dontje said she didn't hear any calls for help or screaming from the victim, but came outside after hearing the commotion after the fall.
"Next thing I know I see an ambulance, and I walked over there and of course you wanna know what's going on. They said that Betty had fallen from the third floor, that the screen just came out and she fell," she said.
Dontje said the woman was covered in potting soil, which may have cushioned her fall.
"She landed in the potting soil," said neighbor Steven Budzeak. "That made the landing a lot softer because if she had hit the concrete instead of soft soil she surely would have been dead."
Watch Reg Chapman's report above.
