20/7/11 - Boy saved from strom water drain
Published: 20th July 2011
Just before 5.00pm this evening, Wednesday 20 July, firefighters from Cardiff Fire Station, in the Hunter Valley area, were responded to reports of a young child swept down a storm water drain during torrential rains in the area.Fire Rescue officers arrived within 6 minutes and located a 7 year old boy in a storm water drain at the rear of a restaurant in Veronica Street.
Apparently the child had been swept some 60 metres through an underground storm water drain under the roadway and re-emerged in the drain at the rear of the premises. Firefighters quickly deployed a ladder and a firefighter utilised a harness and ropes to pull the child to safety.
The boy was assessed by ambulance paramedics with minor injuries and was transported to hospital for further assessment.
Fire Rescue officers involved in the incident, which could have had tragic consequences, described it as a miraculous escape for the child. The incident highlighted the need for extreme caution near storm water drains and open waterways during the current severe weather conditions currently impacting the east coast of NSW.