Woman spent hours on phone with rescuers, parents

Emily Fodness was lying on a bed in her parents' apartment when the floor fell in.

A loud boom shook the downtown Sioux Falls apartment, and the 22 year old found herself in complete darkness lying on a mattress alongside her dog.

She couldn't sit up, but she could reach her phone.

She called her mother, who arrived on the scene immediately to watch responders try to reach her daughter in the rubble.

Chris and Mike Fodness, Emily's parents, stayed on the line with Emily, passing the phone to fire rescue workers as they tried to find her.

That phone contact was crucial to finding her, authorities said. Workers dug through rubble for three hours, pausing every so often to call and see if they were closer.

"She was really aware of where she was, she knew everything," Sioux Falls Fire Chief Jim Sideras said. "She could say, 'I was north of here and south of there.'"

At 1:20 p.m. Emily's dog Nova emerged, giving rescuers hope that they were close.

And as they continued digging closer to Emily, a worker held her hand to help her get through the last minutes of confinement.

At 1:30 p.m. Fodness was pulled from the debris and placed on a medical backboard. She was treated for minor injuries at Avera McKennan, according to a hospital spokeswoman, and was in "good condition."

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Fodness' parents in a statement Friday evening said they were grateful for those who prayed for their daughter and to rescuers who got her out safely.

“We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for our daughter, Emily, and our family. We are thankful that Emily is in good condition and ask for privacy at this time," they wrote.

The family didn't respond to additional requests for comment and cited a desire for privacy during a difficult time.

Murrey Welder, a manager at Texas Roadhouse in Sioux Falls, said Fodness is a server and bartender at the Sioux Falls restaurant and called her a "legendary" employee.

Welder said he was glued to the television screen Friday watching and waiting as rescue workers pulled away rubble and debris as they got closer to Fodness.

"It's been a very, very emotional day because she's such a good employee," Welder said. "I cried a lot of tears and I was overjoyed when she was pulled out."

Man killed in collapse was father, veteran, caring friend

Follow Dana Ferguson on Twitter @bydanaferguson, call (605) 370-2493 or email dferguson@argusleader.com