MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. (KSNW) — A 14-month-old boy fell into a PVC pipe and became trapped underground in Kansas Sunday afternoon.
The entire family was outside their home in Moundridge, Kansas. The boy's father was working on his car while his wife was walking around the yard with their 14-month-old son, Bentley. That's when she saw him fall into a PVC pipe that runs more than 10 feet into the ground.
The parents called 911 just before 2 p.m.
"It's horrifying. It's haunting to feel so helpless knowing that your child is in serious need of help," said the boy's father, Blake.
The Moundridge Police Department, Fire Department and EMS responded. They found the toddler upright in the bottom of the pipe, which was approximately 12 inches in diameter.
"Looking down at him as he was screaming, he wanted out of there, he wanted help, and you can't do anything. It's just completely helplessness," said Blake.
The rescuers quickly began working to free the child.
The police department said it wants to especially highlight Officer Ronnie Wagner for creating a catch pole out of a thinner PVC pipe and rope. Wagner, a veteran, has only been with the department for a month.
He called Jeremy Samland with EMS. Samland lives nearby and had a narrow PVC pipe in his garage.
"This isn't a normal situation to respond to; now we're trying to adapt on the fly, and the resources and the ability to do that is very impressive to have," Samland said.
The two crafted a 16-foot PVC rod and then funneled fire department rope through it. Wagner tied a circle lasso at the end of it.
"Basically, I threaded some rope through some PVC pipe, tied a knot at the end of it so that it would slip," said Wagner.
Rescuers lowered the rod and rope over the boy and lifted him to safety in approximately 20 minutes, unharmed.
"We used it to wrap around the child, basically right under his shoulders and lift him out of the hole," said Wagner.
"If none of our efforts worked at that time, we would've had to start digging, bring in some equipment and start digging a really big hole in the front yard and dig him out, which would've been time-consuming," Wagner said.
Police say Wagner's creative solution was instrumental in lifting the child safely from the pipe.
The family is unsure what the pipe is for. They're just thankful for the quick-thinking team of first responders that saved their son.
"It's a blessing and a miracle to have a first responder that lives right behind us. There aren't words to express our gratitude toward the city," said Blake.
