Watch: Kan. firefighters, police save toddler trapped in PVC pipe

The 14-month-old child fell about 10 feet deep into a pipe around 12 inches in diameter; a Moundridge Police officer’s creative approach was instrumental in his rescue

August 02, 2024 08:58 AM

By Mike Stunson
The Charlotte Observer

MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. — A toddler is shaken, but otherwise unharmed, after being rescued from the bottom of an underground PVC pipe, Kansas authorities say.

The Moundridge Police Department said the 14-month-old child became stuck in the PVC pipe — just 12 inches in diameter —around 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28.

Authorities found the child “upright in the bottom of the pipe,” which police said was 10 to 12 feet deep.

One police officer’s “creative” approach to get the child out was “instrumental” in the rescue, police said. The child was lifted from the pipe through a makeshift “catch pole” that the officer constructed using rope and a smaller PVC pipe, the department said.

The rescue took 15 to 20 minutes and officers said the child was uninjured.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to all the first responders for their swift and effective action, which transformed a dangerous situation into a successful rescue,” police said.

Moundridge is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Wichita.

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