A New Hampshire second grader is rescued during recess after getting stuck in a sinkhole on the playground
A New Hampshire second grader is rescued during recess after getting stuck in a sinkhole on the playground.
The incident prompted a full rescue response from the fire department in Keene.
Afternoon recess at Fuller Elementary School ended abruptly on Wednesday, and Fire Chief Mark Howard was the first on scene.
"The child was in a hole with one leg up to his hips," Howard said.
He says a teacher was hanging onto the student.
"As soon as I said to her, 'what's underneath,' she agreed and said, 'I don't know that's why I haven't let go of him,'" Chief Howard recalled. "She was afraid he was going to fall into something bigger than it really was."
Firefighters freed the second grader within 10 minutes and he went home with his parents.
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"I think his mom was real happy," Howard said.
He says the hollow ground was three to five feet wide, but only about two feet deep, so it turns out the child was never in any real danger.
Still, parents are glad to hear how school and fire officials handled it.
"We're living in a world where things are changing in our environment everyday and it's better to be cautious than not react," said Wanda Lanigan.
Principal Emily Hartshorn says the little boy showed up for school Thursday morning with quite a tale for show and tell.
"He was a trooper about it and he retold the story with quite a flare this morning," she said. "This child is going to remember it for the rest of his life."
School officials tell necn the hole was likely caused by a rotten stump underground. It's now filled in and safe for recess for the 360 kids at Fuller Elementary School.
