ALLENTOWN — Five seconds — that's how long Gerri Carter turned away from her children to pick up something on her backyard lawn. And that's how quickly her 2-year-old son plunged down an abandoned septic tank hole that she didn't know existed until last week's accident.  When Ms. Carter stood up, her son, James, was nowhere to be found. Calling out repeatedly to him, she didn't hear a sound from her son. It wasn't until James' twin sister, Katie, came running over yelling and pointing that Ms. Carter found her son — 6 feet underground and up to his neck in mud, water and leaves in a septic tank hole.

Fortunately, James is OK, but Ms. Carter is still shaken that this could happen to her family. No one is to blame, she said, but she wants to use the experience to warn other Allentown families about what could happen in their own back yards.  “Someone needs to warn homeowners about this. People think they're safe in their back yards and they may not be," Ms. Carter said.  

The family's ordeal began in the late afternoon of April 12. It was a nice day and Ms. Carter and the twins were playing in the back yard. The family had no idea their home had an unfilled septic tank hole. James just happened to be standing over the hole when the ground gave out and he fell though the 10-inch diameter hole. 

James was so far underground that his screams could not be heard above ground across the yard. When Ms. Carter got closer she could see that her son was terrified and screaming loudly, but he was too far down for her to pull him out. More stones and debris would fall on top of James every time she approached the hole.     Ms. Carter sprang into action, calling 911, and emergency responders raced to her home, especially after recognizing the North Main Street address — Ms. Carter's husband Brad is a chief at Hope Fire Company.

The emergency crews tried to widen the hole, but more debris was falling around James and giving out under the adults' weight. Ms. Carter feared pieces of the concrete cap that covered that hole would hit her son's head.  Finally, James stuck his arm up far enough for his mom to grab it and pull him out.  The crews later determined that a 3-inch thick concrete cap used to cover the septic tank hole had deteriorated over the years. Although only 31 pounds, James' weight was too much for the broken cap and layer of earth to support. 

Afterwards Ms. Carter spent time asking "what if?" What if it had rained the night before and the hole's water level was even higher than James' neck? What if Katie, a full head shorter than James, had fallen in instead?  "It's a scary thing. Homeowners need to be aware of this. We should have the choice of filling the holes so another child doesn't have to go through this," Ms. Carter said. "Everyone should be warned so they can fill the holes themselves. If our cap broke it can happen to anyone." 

One scary aspect of the Carters' story is that the family had no idea a septic tank hole was even in their back yard. The Carters weren't informed about the site when they moved into the house one year ago, although that's not necessarily unusual — the family lived in a different house in Allentown for a decade without ever knowing if there was an abandoned hole there. The important thing, Ms. Carter said, is for everyone to find out now. 

Allentown created a public sewer system in the 1950s, but before then homeowners were privately responsible for their waste. That is part of the reason that no map marking old septic sites exists, Mayor Stu Fierstein explained.  Since homes were required to close their private systems to hook into the public sewer, it is reasonable to assume that any home predating the sewer system will have an abandoned septic tank site. Whether that site is filled in or just capped and covered could vary by property.

The Carters have already filled their hole with dirt and the children are back outside playing. But Ms. Carter fears there could be another hole somewhere. She just doesn't want to find it the hard way.  "Everyone needs to be very careful," she said. "I just want people to realize what could happen in their own back yard."

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

La Canada, California--An 8-year-old boy who fell into a 30-foot-deep hole on private property in Flintridge was rescued unharmed. 

Fire crews arrived at the scene at 3:23 p.m. and had the boy out of the hole by 3:52 p.m., according to authorities.

Rescuers used a rope and pulleys to lift the boy to safety. He was taken to a hospital for further examination but appeared to be in good condition. 

The boy, James Cornwall, told reporters outside Huntington Memorial Hospital he was just running across the yard when he fell.  He said his wrists and fingers hurt, but he was otherwise OK.

Firefighters said the hole was only 20 inches wide, and the boy was standing in waist-deep water when they arrived.

Toddler dies after falling in septic tank

news-journalonline - Flagler - Daytona Beach Florida

By CHRIS DOVI--Staff Writer

Thursday, October 06, 2005

A Flagler County mother and father discovered their 2-year-old daughter drowned in a water-filled septic tank Thursday after noticing she was missing for 20 minutes, officials said.

Sorcha McCraney fell into the tank at her family's home being built in rural Bimini, near the Daytona North subdivision, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.   The new septic tank in the family's yard on Garden Lane, off State Road 100, was in the ground and covered with dirt, but "the cover was off" an access hole, according to sheriff's Lt. David O'Brien. The tank was not in service.

"Mom and dad were working on the house and the child went in the back yard," O'Brien said. Sorcha's parents are Jessica and Sidney McCraney. Deputies arrived within minutes of the 3:50 p.m. call for help, he said.  "The deputies did CPR to try to revive the child," O'Brien said. Attempts to revive her were "still in progress when the child was transported by the ambulance."

O'Brien said investigators were still uncertain as to how long the child might have been in the septic tank.  The girl was transported to Florida Hospital Flagler and arrived about 4:30 p.m.

Pending the outcome of the investigation, charges could be filed if criminal negligence was a factor in the accident. "We're looking at every avenue," O'Brien said.

The drowning is the second this year involving a toddler in Flagler County.

Girl's family makes choice -Maria's organs will be donated

By Fanny S. Chirinos Caller-Times

February 17, 2005

The family of Maria Carmen Gomez, the 2-year-old Ingleside girl who fell into a septic tank last Saturday, told her goodbye Wednesday after deciding to donate her organs. 

Police officials were called to the 2900 block of Penoak Avenue Saturday to search for Maria after her mother, Antonia Veronica Gomez, couldn't find her. Maria's grandfather, Victor Gomez, found her submerged headfirst in an abandoned septic tank located about 25 feet from the front door of their home.

She never regained consciousness. Child Protective Services is investigating the incident in the interest of Maria's sibling, who is currently staying with relatives, said Aaron Reid, CPS spokesman. Reid would not release any information about the sibling.

The unfilled septic tank Maria fell into has become the subject of a potential lawsuit, Huerta said.  "Someone should have covered that hole because it wasn't being used," he said.

Huerta is investigating the party responsible for the unfilled hole and said there might be a handful of complainants.

Victor Gomez purchased the property and home several weeks ago and the family moved in three weeks before the incident. Gomez has a conveyance, a general warranty lien, on the property, Huerta said.

"I don't believe (the Gomez family) knew the septic tank was even there," Huerta said. "(Victor Gomez) found out when he was looking for the baby."

Contact Fanny S. Chirinos at 886-3759 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it