Father Dives Into 10 Feet of Sewage to Rescue Five-Year-Old Son
- Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:12pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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An Albuquerque father did not think twice before diving into 10-feet of sewage to rescue his 5-year-old son who had fallen into an uncovered manhole in the middle of a construction zone. Nearly one week since the accident and without any changes to the way such manholes are covered, Bob Anderson tells KOB that he is demanding that the City of Albuquerque acts to improve public safety:
Anderson told KRQE that it was dark when his family were on their evening walk, and the metal cover that was supposed to block the manhole had been moved. The boy fell into the hole after running ahead. Without hesitation, Anderson followed into the disgusting pool and secured his son, as his wife then helped pull them back above ground.
Nearly one week later, Anderson explained to KRQE that the steel plate covering the manhole is not enough to prevent such accidents from happening again, because “anyone can just pick this up and throw this off.” He is now demanding more should be done to secure the covers and make sure they can’t be tampered with.
“They’re (the city) trying to blame the people for their sloppiness and their job here,” Anderson told KRQE. “I‘m afraid somebody’s going to get hurt before this is all over.”
Mark Motsko, Albuquerque Department of Municipal Development spokesman,told KOB that the city cannot change the covers because anything heavier would be a hazard to get off if there was an accident. To remedy the danger brought to the city’s attention by the Anderson accident, Motsko says increased patrol have been placed in the contruction area.
“We’ve added an inspector all weekend from now until the project is complete to go up and down twice a day on the weekends to make sure that the covers are in place and that the barrels are also in place,” Motsko said.
As for the boy who first fell into the manhole, Anderson tells KRQE that his son is fine now and that “it scared him more than anything.”
However, the father has not felt so good and told KOB that he has been to the emergency room “a couple of times from some kind of bacteria.”
The construction project at the site of the manhole is scheduled for completion this spring.
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Comments (56)
Jim in Houston
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 9:17amThis was a really sh#tty story. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Report Post »Grey Eagle
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 8:02pmThat guy gives true meaning to loving father. Glad they are both safe.
Report Post »billrow
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 8:46amI doubt his really happened in the first place.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:53pmManhole covers are being stolen all across the country for their scrap metal value.
A bad economy and high prices (including scrap metal) contribute to this.
Some places have taken to WELDING THEM IN PLACE !
Of course, to access them, they also must use a welder to break the weld.
Everytime I see a landscaper’s truck full of scrap metal, I have to wonder if they are hard working, honest men supplementing their income, or if they are a bunch of illegals stealing stuff and selling it for scrap.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:54pmmake that “crooks” stealing stuff – illegals has a different connotation.
Report Post »sodacrackers2
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 9:20pmWhy??
Report Post »billrow
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 10:55pmIt just semed like a good opprotunity to get on the news and maybe sue someone. Were there any witnessess? I know I wouldn’t go walking in a construction zone with open sewers…especially with my kids.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 7:59amLet’s all take our toddlers on walks through construction zones and then be shocked and outraged when something bad happens. Then let’s all demand that every manhole in America be welded shut to protect us from our own stupidity. Then we’ll sue. Oh brother.
Report Post »Mousey
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 8:54amyou done hit the nail on the head there :-)
Report Post »ADNIL
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 7:32amS#!+ happens.
Report Post »WAR PIGS CRAWLING
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 8:47amWell…….no S#!+.
Report Post »ALL4FREEDOM
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 7:23amUm…..don’t they require fences around urban construction sites in New Mexico?
Report Post »Anna Fallaxis
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 6:22amExcuse me, but what sensible parent lets their baby run through an obvious CONSTRUCTION SITE? Orange cones, barriers, dangerous equipment and materials, this did not sneak up on them. These things are there for a reason and scream “Danger, Danger!” Who lets their baby run away in the street? That means the father was probably walking where he shouldn’t. Next to a construction zone, wouldn‘t most of us grab the kid’s hand? And yes, I’ve never heard of a manhole opening into a sewage drain, those are for storm water. OK, your kid had a horrible accident and good for you that you saved him, which is only natural. But then run whining to the media, who did no fact checking before they splashed inaccuracies all over the headlines. If that was 10 feet of sewage, they would have been instantly dead from METHANE GAS. This guy is full of what he claims he swallowed and looking for a lawsuit. Your kid falls down a hole when you’re supposed to be watching him? Your fault, Buster.
Report Post »BSdetector
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 7:12amI like this little gem too “anyone can just pick this up and throw this off.”
Report Post »That tells me the guy has never “tried to pick one up or throw one off” esp with his bare hands.
jado1981
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 9:01amBSDetector, I believe those things weigh somewhere close to 50#, so it’s quite funny that he thinks people can just lift them off and throw them around, I imagine he thinks they are like frisbees.
Report Post »snagz
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:47pm@jado1981
Did you even read the article? The manhole covers are not there, but they laid a steel plate over it as a temporary cover. That’s what he said was easy to remove.
Report Post »jado1981
Posted on January 16, 2012 at 5:32pm@ Snagz
I read the article, and then re-read the article, now it’s time for you to do the same.
The manhole cover IS A PLATE OF STEEL. I see nowhere in the article does it say the manhole cover was not there but there was a different sheet of steel there. Unless I missed something there, you read more into the story than was printed, maybe you should be working on reading comprehension just a bit more.
Report Post »wbaranowski
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 4:38amAnd his lunch was in the kid’s pocket.
Report Post »Fight for America82
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 3:02am@ MACPAPPY
You’re completely wrong there big guy. I don’t know where you live but where I live we have manholes in our sewer system. I have actually installed many of them around town as I have done excavation for years here. It’s a 3034 pvc sewer line most of which is 8 inch in diameter. And there are manholes everywhere throughout the system so it can be serviced in the event of a blockage and to keep the system flowing straight without any angles in the pipe itself. Every system in the country is different. This sounds like it was a sewer manhole and more than likely had very little waste flowing through it. It sounds to me like this father is making a big deal out of nothing and needs to be checked out for being a hypochondriac and a whiny liberal. That’s my 2 cents
Report Post »Welcome Black Carter
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 11:11amPretty sure this guy can explain the difference between landing in a concrete pit, ankle deep and going all the way under, filling their mouths…
Report Post »Did you read the story? You could just look at the pictures and get the “depth” of the story…
Diane TX
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 2:17amWhat parent wouldn’t jump into a sewer to rescue their child?
Report Post »THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:09amThis reminds me of how the honirable Ron Paul has jumped into the GOP progressive sewers to try and save America from the manure these rino’s keep destroying our great country with ..
Report Post »Vyctoria
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 11:01amBut would Ron Paul protect us from a threatening Iran?
Report Post »Californiasodbuster
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:51amI thought the only sewage came from California, according to Blaze posts.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 5:03amAs a Floridian, I have never seen that observation, but it does seem the ones that opine the loudest are the liberal left in CA. You have to admit that CA is being regulated and taxed to death, and for people who are free thinkers, I find this strange. In addition to CA’s regulations and taxes, many support Obama who wants to tax and regulate even more. Unless there is some vale tax relief for his supporters, this makes no sense (sort of like Beyonce and JZ, do you ever hear them included in the 1%, or professional sports figures?).
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:10amI wish Obama would take a midnight stroll down that street. But considering he was sent to us from the pit of Hell, that hole would be an improvement for him.
Report Post »A good father is gonna do what he has to do for his son. Glad they are both ok.
Better Dead Than Red
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:42pmso sad how you and I are the same species.
Report Post »whatthecrazy
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:34pmYea……………………eeeeewwwwwe
Report Post »Celeste.Christi
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:18pmShovel Ready
Report Post »oswell
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:14pmThat kid should get the paddle for putting Dad up **** Creek.
Report Post »NeoKong
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:09pmManholes are not filled with ten feet of raw sewage. They are simply an access to the sewer line below which may be a pipe 20 inches or less that intersects the vertical access way. The majority of the contents of a sewer line is dirty water as the bulk of waste is thinned out and broken up by the time it reaches the street.
Report Post »Nobody “dove into sewage.” At best the man quickly climbed down, put his feet in a few inches of water and lifted his son up.
macpappy
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:55pmActually, you don’t find manholes in sewage systems, you find manholes in storm and drainage systems. Storm drainage and septic lines are totally different pipe systems and are not interconnected. Sewage lines are full of methane, and other gasses, none of them good for you.
Report Post »mharry860
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:27amThank you!
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:49pm@mac – that actually varies from place to place. Some are combined systems, some are separate.
Report Post »OuttheSocialist
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:54pmI really feel for this guy. Every father in this country has been jumping in the sewer pit, that the Politicians have created for our children, for some time.
Report Post »afishfarted
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:46pmThis father is justified being scared and upset. But his reaction is the same reason the state of Illinois now requires an I D to buy drain cleaner; one woman in 2008 had drain cleaner thrown in her face. Now, the rest of the state has to be inconvienced. NOT a balanced answer
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:53pmWas he wearing a Tebow jersey with a number 15 on it
Report Post »calmglass
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:41pmI guess he’s supposed to go “ewww, raw sewage! Well it was nice knowing you son. Hey babe… wanna make another baby when we get home tonight?”
Report Post »00gabooga
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:48pmI was thinking the same thing, what kind of father WOULDN’T do that if he thought his child was in danger?
Report Post »majasdad
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 3:49amExactly.
Report Post »cantbelieveallthisgarbagecouldhappenwhodoislap
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:40pmGlad the kid was ok! I would have done the same,save my kid! just the first comment on here peed me off,straight off ,the man was trying to form blame!The Blame is! !!!your mother had kids!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:38pmLook the main thing is the guy got his kid out of there safely; he did what most other people would not bother to do so – now the article mentions clearly the kid ran ahead of the father during their walk; it does not say he was unsupervised. This was in a construction zone so consider this much – there are some cities, parts of Phoenix especially, where the manhole covers are in the sidewalks, not in the streets. People need to consider such before jumping to conclusions.
The family was going for a walk, maybe one of the parents had gone ahead and the kid was running to catch up with the other. Right now what is key is that a near tragedy has been averted and the father is paying a price for saving his son.
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:15amHere in my city we have pranksters who steal them as a joke. I almost drove my car wheel into one once. Called police to report it. Sick people.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:43am@Captain Crunch – Phoenix every few years has problems with people stealing the things to try and sell for scrap iron value.
Report Post »G.E.R
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:35pmThat’s what a parent is suppose to do
Report Post »Arminianism
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:29pmI’m thinking the better option would of been to lower the wife in head down while holding onto her heels. And MAYBE I lose my grip and she falls in head first. Anyone?
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:23pmGives new meaning to kids putting their parent’s thru alot of crap.
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:22pmWhy were they in the area in the first place and why was his son running unattended in the middle of the street. Seems like the father is partially to blame here also. Grant you, the manhole cover should have been in its place, but this kid needs to learn to watch where he is running.
I am glad he is okay and the dad does not contract something really bad. Diving into sewage is not exactly a smart thing to do, but when it is a kid, you will do anything to save them.
Report Post »cantbelieveallthisgarbagecouldhappenwhodoislap
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:32pmIT has to do with commen since! people here still have it,when they dont?Sue some one,bunch of lazy ******.
Report Post »grammieB
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:25pmThe area where this occurred is a street that has been closed for at least six months. The city is redoing sewer and water lines. The neighborhood is using the closed street for evening walks. There are no manhole covers on the manholes, only square pieces of metal that are easily moved. The city bears the negligence in this case.
Report Post »survivorseed
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:53pm@cofemale….always looking for someone to blame aren’t you
Report Post »deeberj
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:39pmI personally would not take my young son for a walk on a street under construction with flimsy manhole covers, but the city needs to do something safer or at least cover their butts. Like put up signs that tell people to NOT walk on the street, stay on the sidewalks.
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