A 5-year-old girl is in serious condition after getting swept into a sewer drain, according to PEOPLE. This horrifying incident happened in Sarasota, Florida, on Sunday, August 24.
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5-Year-Old Girl Swept Into Sewer Drain Now Hospitalized In Serious Condition
Emergency crews responded to this emergency on Bahia Vista Street around 6 PM local time, Fox 13 reported. It started with a water main rupturing below the street. This created a strong current that flooded the road.
So, when the little girl was playing near where the water main broke, it took her with the current into the sewer. It carried her into the nearby storm drain as emergency crews rushed to save her.
“I saw the ambulance come up with a stretcher, and they went to where the water main break was, and then they all went running down the street,” said neighbor Tom McGee, who caught the chaotic moment on his doorbell camera.
According to WWSB, the firefighters eventually found the girl in the drainage system around 100 yards west on Bahia Vista Street. They transferred her to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where she now resides in critical condition.
Sarasota County Government made a Facebook post sharing the road repairs. “Bahia Vista Street is currently closed due to a 12-inch water main break in the 5400 block,” it read. “Sarasota County Public Utilities crews are investigating the cause of the break, which damaged the road.”
A Swift Rescue
Assistant Chief Tim Dorsey from the Sarasota County Fire Department praised the firefighters for their speedy response. “They happened to all be in station, right place, right time,” said Dorsey. “They were there very quickly.”
He also noted how this wasn’t a typical rescue. “It’s a low-frequency, high-risk event,” Dorsey explained. “There’s a tremendous amount of risk and danger.”
When facing this incident, rescuers managed to map out a search area. This aided them in locating the young girl. Rescuers then “started resuscitative efforts and transported the child to a local hospital.”
Another neighbor told ABC7 how the community is helping the victim’s family. “I can’t fathom what they are going through right now,” she said. “We are really praying, just really devastated for the family, but really praying for a miracle.”
The neighbor also mentioned how her daughter was nearly involved in the accident. “My daughter is actually friends of hers, and she asked if we would want to play in the water with them,” she said.
“And they would have, if they hadn’t been going to Grandma’s. Just devastating.”
Sarasota County deputies are investigating to determine what led the girl to this unfortunate accident. They’re hoping to figure out if anyone was supervising her and what she was doing prior to the incident.