Grace's 14-storey Fall and Survival an "absolute miracle"

"I wasn't expecting anybody alive at the bottom of the shaft, so I was shocked." –Lt. Ressner

(New York City, NY)—A two-foot pile of soot at the bottom of a chimney atop a New York City apartment was all that cushioned Grace Berger's 14-storey fall—at least all that could be seen with the natural eye. (AP Photo)

Whether or not angels, or the hand of God Himself, kept the 12-year-old girl from being killed, it was still what her father described as an "absolute miracle."

Wanting to show her visiting cousin the beautiful view of the Hudson River from the top of their apartment, Grace had brought her cousin to the roof, and promptly climbed a 25-foot ladder which ran alongside a large chimney. Once at the top, however, Grace fell into the flue. Her cousin ran to get help.

Expecting the worst, firefighter Lt. Simon Ressner was shocked to find Grace alive and lucid, though covered in soot. Later, the building's janitor was relieved he hadn't yet had the chimney swept.

According to the BBC News report, Grace was receiving treatment for a possible dislocated hip.