Firefighters in Washington State had to rescue a woman from a public toilet after she fell in while trying to reach her dropped phone.
Both Brinnon Fire Department and Quilcene Fire Rescue responded to the scene at the top of Washington's Mount Walker on Tuesday (19 April), where the woman had entered the vault toilet while in the area by herself. A vault toilet is one that does not need to be flushed, and is instead constructed with a vault or container buried in the ground.
The woman in her 40s is said to have been using her phone when she dropped it down into the vault, after which she disassembled the toilet seat and used dog leads to try and reach it. When that didn't work, she tried to tie the leads to herself for security before reaching down the toilet.
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The manoeuvre did not go to plan, and she ended up falling into the vault headfirst. She attempted to escape for around 10 to 15 minutes with no luck, so, having at that point been reunited with her phone, she used it to call 911.
Firefighters responding to the scene managed to pass the woman blocks that she was able to use to stand on to reach a harness offered by the firefighters, which they used to pull her out of the vault. The woman assured the firefighters she was uninjured and requested no medical transport.
According to the Kitsap Sun, Brinnon Fire Department Chief Tim Manly commented: "I imagine that she was probably very fortunate. I don’t have any experience with that kind of a rescue, except for now, but I know that is not a good place to be.”
The woman was washed down and was 'strongly encouraged to seek medical attention after being exposed to human waste', but a post on Facebook stated that she 'only wanted to leave' after the unfortunate ordeal.
"She thanked the responders and continued her journey back to California. The patient was extremely fortunate not to be overcome by toxic gases or sustain injury," the post added.
Manly described the incident as 'pretty unique', noting that he has been in the job for 40 years and has never experienced a similar situation.
Though not all toilets might be as deep as the one on the top of Mount Walker, the woman's story certainly acts as a cautionary tale for anyone who has a habit of scrolling while on the loo.
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Topics: US News, Technology, Life
Emily Brown