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Teen falls in 11-inch drainage pipe while sledding on golf course

Teen falls in 11-inch drainage pipe while sledding on golf course

A 15-year-old boy from Kansas who went sledding on a closed golf course wound up trapped after falling into an uncovered drainage pipe.

Newton Fire and EMS responded Saturday to a call from the Sand Creek Station golf course. A 15-year-old boy had been sledding with a friend on the closed course when he fell feet first into a drainage pipe and got stuck.

Firefighters say the pipe is 11 inches in diameter, and the teenager was fortunate he didn’t fall farther down. Just his fingertips were visible at ground level when first responders arrived.

“With the snow covering the ground, you definitely have to be aware of your surroundings because you can’t see what might be underneath the snow,” said Andy Harder, Newton Fire/EMS Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction. “Is it a frozen lake or is it an open drainage hole?”

Two of the firefighters were able to grab the 15-year-old’s hands and pull him out of the pipe. After his rescue, he was taken to the hospital.

“My reaction initially was there’s just no way a person could fit in there. I didn’t think it was possible, so it seems to be kind of an incredible feat,” said Dustin Housh, the Sand Creek Station general manager.

Housh says the drainage pipes should have grates covering them.

Firefighters say the grate was found next to the hole and replaced after the teen was rescued. It’s not clear why it wasn’t covering the pipe at the time of the incident.

First responders are now emphasizing the importance of the buddy system. If the teen hadn’t had a friend with him to call for help, it could have ended badly.

“I firmly believe that that individual is only alive because someone called for help,” Harder said. “If we would have been looking for him without knowing where he was at, it would have been like looking for a needle in a hay stack.”