Police rescued man and his dog from snow fort

Police officers saved a northern Minnesota man and his dog trapped when a snow fort collapsed on them on Sunday. Hermantown police Sgt. William Marsolek said the incident happened at about 5:20pm. The man was inside his snow fort when it collapsed, also trapping his dog inside. The man’s son, aged about 10 years old, called 911.



Josh Toms, 33, said he was trapped for about 15 after the fort roof collapsed on him while he was inside with his dog, Leo. “There was a little breathing room, but I couldn't move anything," Toms said. Toms thought the moments he spent stuck in the snowbank may be his last. “It was so heavy that it was painful right on my hips. I could really feel the pressure there," Toms said

Toms, a paramedic and volunteer firefighter, started to hyperventilate. But he remembered quickly that it'd only eat up his air supply faster. "I kind of calmed myself down. I quit moving and I just focused on my breathing," he said. Outside the fort was Toms’ son, Ian. "It was like, really, really scary because I didn't know what was happening," Ian said.



Ian then remembered what Toms had told him an hour before: "You first call 911 and then you come back and you start shovelling. But I was like, 'don't worry this never happens.'" But this time it did. Ian said "I was like ‘oh, he's just going to stand up,’ but he didn't stand up. So I ran inside to call 911." Just 15 minutes later, Toms said police pulled him from the snowbank. He was dizzy and felt faint, but he was okay. "I think we're going to have a sign that says no forts anymore," Toms said.

There's a news video here.