February 10, 2011

From the ‘Glad it wasn’t me’ files….

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V ermont man buried when clearing roof

Watch out

Cleaning snow off a roof can be dangerous as one Vermont man found on Feb. 4.

Vermont State Police report 52-year-old Jean Butler of Newfane became trapped under a massive pile of snow when he was working to clear off the roof of his garage just after 3 p.m.

Police received a call from a Parish Hill Road resident reporting hearing what she thought was a male voice calling for help despite the fact she could not see anyone when she looked around the area.

The caller told police she thought the muffled cry for help might be coming from her neighbor’s home, but she was not sure.

When Trooper Genevra Cushman went to the residence and looked around she climbed onto the porch and spotted Butler’s head and gloved hand sticking out of the pile.

After calling for assistance Cushman spent nearly 30 minutes digging Butler out of the snowbank.

Butler told police he had been working to remove snow with a roof rake when the entire side of the garage let go of its snow load at the same time, catching him by surprise and nearly covering him head to foot. The edge of the garage roof was 15-20 feet from the ground, police said. Butler said he had been trapped for about two hours before he was found, intermittently calling for assistance. He was not taken to the hospital but was evaluated on scene by EMS. Butler was reported in good spirits but extremely cold after the ordeal.