Fat man absorbs plummet from 17-story window

A man who survived an 11-story fall was released from a Wuhan hospital with only minor injures on October 25 after a "soft landing" that doctors claim his 90-kilogram body weight helped provide.

The 33-year-old man surnamed Yang was treated for bone fractures sustained after striking two air conditioner units fastened outside the building as he plummeted out of his friend's 17th floor apartment window on September 29.

Police and paramedics rescued Yang from an air conditioning rack on the 6th floor that had broken his fall.

"We initially thought the patient would have sustained severe inner injuries. It's hard to imagine he was so lucky," said Ai Fen, director of emergency care at Wuhan Central Hospital in Hubei province.

Yang explained he was helping a friend clean his apartment's AC compressor when he suddenly lost his balance.

"I can hardly remember how I fell from the balcony," said Yang. "I felt aches all over after waking up in the hospital," said Yang.

According to Ai, while colliding with the AC units slowed his fall, Yang's extra kilos acted as "cushioning" and prevented any serious internal organ damage.