We’ll never be able to predict all of the ways in which our children could potentially harm themselves. They’re creative and innovative in ways our adult brains can’t quite comprehend. But for parents who sit around and imagine worst-case scenarios, there’s nothing more terrifying than watching your child walk straight into the danger you’d foreseen. That’s what one father in the UK experienced as he warned his toddler not to go past the drain in their backyard. When she didn’t listen, he watched her disappear into the manhole.
Steven Pearce, the child’s father, was sitting in his backyard with his two daughters, the LadBible reports. As he took a seat in an outdoor chair, he issued a command to his 3-year-old daughter Anastasia: “Not past the drain.” Like most headstrong toddlers, the girl stopped, looked back at her father, smiled and kept walking. Seconds later, she vanished.
“I saw her disappear so I ran to her,” Steven said recounting the moment. “There was no thought involved because my natural instincts kicked in. I would beat Usain Bolt off the starting line the way I ran. I’ve never ran that fast in my whole life. I was in shock. My legs were trembling and they were like jelly. I was petrified.”
Steven recognized that the fall could have killed his daughter. But he immediately heard her screaming back up. “I thought I would be able to lie on my belly and reach down to grab her but I couldn’t reach her,” Steven explained. “I climbed down on the metal foot rings but because it was so narrow I couldn’t get her up so I had to lift her up on my shoulder and climb out with her like a fireman rescue.”
The whole time, Anastasia’s older sister, Arizona, stood above the manhole crying. Steven said she thought her little sister was dead. “[Anastasia] is a tough kid so she he was fine afterwards and carried on playing but I think she was probably still in shock.”
Naturally, Steven is not blaming his daughter for doing what children do. He does have an issue with the water supply company, Severn Trent. “Severn Trent should know better,” Steven said. “I’ve been a builder for 24 years and that drain cover is not sufficient. It should be cast iron but it’s been a galvanised little wafer thin drain which barely covers the hole. That’s OK on a 2ft drop, but not a 6ft drop. That’s a really, really, bad mistake from them.”
Anastasia’s mother was horrified watching the footage back, knowing that her daughter could have broken her neck. “I felt sick,” she said. “Luckily I think her age helped her because she was so small she just went right down the center. Thankfully Steven was looking after them and he acted really quickly so I’m just grateful that he was on the ball that day.”
The water supply company has since placed a new permanent cover over the manhole. A spokesperson from Severn Trent responded to the incident, which has made international headlines. “We’re very sorry to hear what has happened and we’re looking into the circumstances as a priority,” they said. “As the family has started an insurance claim, we’re not able to comment further at this time.”
