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WEST GOSHEN TWP. Pa. - A three-year-old boy was rescued from a sewer pipe on the 300 block of Synder Avenue at Hickman Sanitation in West Goshen around 5:20 p.m. Monday, according to officials. Emergency responders said the child, who lives on the property with his family, was pulled to safety after being trapped for about 25 minutes.
What we know:
Emergency crews from the West Chester Fire Department, West Chester Police Department, and the Chester County Rescue Task Force responded immediately after the boy’s brother ran to alert their mother, who called 911.
The boy fell into the sewer pipe at Hickman Sanitation Monday, October 26. He was trapped for about 25 minutes before being rescued around 5:20 p.m., officials said. After the rescue, the child was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital to be checked out.
What they're saying:
Battalion Chief Dave March, public information officer for the West Chester Fire Department, said, "The kids were outside playing when the child feel into the pipe. He was probably about 4 or 5 feet deep. It is unclear how far that pipe actually goes down." March said the child held onto a rope in the pipe until rescuers could physically get him out.
Lt. Michael Cotter of the West Chester Police Department said, "Any incident involving a child is difficult for first responders. You go into a mode when you get there, and you know what you need to do."
March described the sewer pipe as between 12 and 14 inches in diameter and said the child was outside playing when he fell in.
He confirmed the child was in sewage but managed to grab onto something inside the pipe. March said, "He held onto a rope that was down in the pipe until we could get equipment in there to physically grab him and pull him up."
The child did not appear to have any major injuries and was alert when he was rescued, fire officials said. March said, "He was crying. He was scared, but he was alert."
Emergency crews said the rescue was a coordinated effort and that those on scene train extensively for these types of situations.
What we don't know:
It is not clear how the boy fell into the pipe or whether the pipe was open or capped, officials said. Police are investigating the incident as accidental.
The Source: This article contains information from the West Chester Fire Department and the West Chester Police Department.