A Kansas toddler is safe after a terrifying ordeal at his family's home in Moundridge. A little boy named Bentley was reportedly playing outside when he stepped on the cover of a sump pump and fell into a hole. The 14-month-old was trapped underground, and his parents quickly called 911 for help.
The story is reminiscent of Jessica McClure, widely known as "Baby Jessica," after she fell into a well in her family's Texas backyard in 1987. Just like Jessica, Bentley was rescued, but thankfully, he was out in a matter of minutes instead of days and quickly reunited with his family.
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Bentley's mom was with her son when he fell.
His mother, Elizabeth, told KAKE she was with her kids playing in the yard on July 28 when Bentley stepped on the sump pump's cover and was suddenly gone.
"When he stepped on it it flipped. He fell so fast I couldn't grab him. I automatically just screamed and screamed," she told the news outlet.
Her husband, Blake, was working in the driveway and came running.
"My wife screamed that horrible scream. I was with her when she gave birth to two babies and this is the scream you never want to hear because you know something treacherous has happened," he explained.
The couple immediately called 911 for help.
The parents told KAKE that emergency crews were at their home within five minutes and immediately got to work. The parents did their best to stay calm for their son during the terrifying ordeal.
According to a news release from the Moundridge Police Department, the PVC pipe was about 12 inches in diameter and between 10 and 12 feet deep. Bentley appeared uninjured and upright at the pipe's bottom when he fell.
Police released body cam footage of the rescue.
KAKE obtained a video of the miraculous recovery, and Elizabeth can be heard speaking sweetly to her son.
"Momma's right here. We're gonna get you out. It's OK," she said.
Police used an orange rope and a piece of PVC pipe to create a catchpole. They got the apparatus around Bentley's shoulders and pulled him out of the pipe.
It was a frightening time for the family.
Although Bentley was rescued in a relatively short amount of time, his mother told KAKE it was hard to wrap her mind around what had happened.
"It was so stressful and traumatic honestly and it felt like the longest 25 minutes of my life," she said.
Blake said Bentley was a bit shaken up at first but was back playing in no time.
"We believe it is nothing short of a miracle that a baby can fall something that is five times his height and come out entirely unscathed," Blake said.
The parents plan to bolt the cover down. Even though they said it was too heavy for a young child to move, it must have been pushed by a lawnmower. They admitted they were shocked by what happened.
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Police commended first responders.
Per a news release posted on Facebook, Moundridge Police said Bentley's rescue resulted from help from police, Moundridge EMS, and the Moundridge Fire Department.
"The combined effort from all responding agencies made this incident run smoothly and ultimately successful. We are very thankful for the tight knit first responder community in Moundridge and our relationships with each other help make calls like this successful. Thank you all for your support," the news release reads.
