‘They had to dig me out’: Homeowner recounts dramatic rescue following tornado roof collapse

By Hannah Hilyard

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    JUNEAU, Wisconsin (WISN) — After surveying Dodge County tornado damage, the National Weather Service has confirmed a fifth tornado ripped through the area on Thursday, May 15.

They’ve determined the one in Juneau was an EF-2.

Body camera video from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office shows the tornado damage on Juneau’s Main Street. It shows first responders at Bruce Scott’s home after the tornado collapsed his roof.

“I was right at the front door, and I was heading for the stairs. It’s right in there, and I grabbed the door, and the roof came down,” Scott said. “I was under the pile. They had to dig me out.”

Scott, 63, believes he was unconscious for a time but remembers hearing familiar voices while buried in the rubble.

“All the neighbors were like, ‘Is Bruce in there? Is he in there?’ I can hear them. Something’s wrong. And they said, ‘Where are you?’ And they’re kicking the door. They couldn’t get it. Then, first responders got it,” he said.

Authorities said firefighters broke through his front door and removed him from the rubble. The body camera footage shows one of the first responders walking Scott out of his home.

“I’m going to hang on to you like this because I don’t want you to fall, OK?” the first responder said in the video.

That first responder happened to be Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt himself.

“The call came in that there was a collapsed roof, and an individual stuck inside was injured and couldn’t get out of the house,” Schmidt said. “The individual was obviously dazed and confused. He wasn’t really sure what happened. He told me he fell down, had a real sore shoulder. We did our best to get him out of the house quickly, get him off to the ambulance.”

Scott said an ambulance was already waiting for him outside his home. He went to the hospital, but his injuries were minor enough that he did not have to stay overnight.

Sheriff Schmidt modestly described his role, saying, “That’s why we’re here, so that we can help get people out of situations like that quickly.”

Scott expressed his gratitude for the emergency response.

“What would you say to them?” 12 News Hannah Hilyard asked Scott.

“Thank you. Thank you. Wow,” he said, tearing up.

“It makes you a little emotional,” Hilyard responded.

“I worked really hard to keep this house,” Scott answered.

Scott told WISN 12 News he plans to demolish the home and eventually rebuild on the property.

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