KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsRoof collapse survivor has luck on his side

Roof collapse survivor has luck on his side

NEAR EMERSON, Neb. (KTIV) -- We've heard a lot lately about roofs collapsing all over Siouxland under the weight of record snow. Thankfully, the collapses haven't killed anyone. But for one man, who was trapped in the rubble, it was scary enough.

"I sit at the kitchen table, looking out the window, drinking coffee thinking, 'Boy I should scoop the snow off there.' Then I'm thinking, 'I'll get on top of there scooping the snow and the darn thing will fall in,'" said Rick Russell.

The rural Emerson, Nebraska man was half right. He was actually inside his pole shed when it gave way Saturday.

"It just hit me, nailed me down."

Snarled and trapped in the wreckage, Rick's girlfriend's son heard the cries for help.

"Oh this hurts, and I can't breathe and I'm getting nervous," Rick recalls.

Before long, though, aid was on the way. Along with rescue workers, Rick's neighbors showed up with tractors and loaders to help free the 53-year-old. Within a half hour, they pulled Rick out with a broken pelvis, but he was still alive.

"I was starting to shake and getting cold. I mean, if they hadn't gotten me out of there, before long, it might have been too late," Russell said.

Surviving a building collapse is an accomplishment in itself, but this isn't the first time Rick's found himself in such a scary and strange situation.

"Broke my back in two places, yeah, about six weeks off work."

That was the time he was trimming a tree when it fell on him. Another time, he was working underneath a car when the jack gave out.

"Drug me about 200 feet down the hill before I got it stopped. Broke my collar bone, a few ribs," Rick says.

So when you take all that into consideration, it's really no surprise that less than a week after the collapse, Rick's up and walking around.

"We all agree on one thing: I'm darn lucky. And I need to quit using up my extra lives."

And if we're going by nine lives, Rick still has about six to go.

Rick's been out of the hospital for a couple days now. He's a truck driver, and will have to take time off of work. But, he's thankful for resourceful neighbors and Emerson Fire and Rescue for helping save his life.

Online Reporter: Zach Tecklenburg