“It was dark, and the next minute I just heard his screams.”
This was the blood-curdling experience Patrick Otto had at about 8.10pm on Thursday night, while he and his six-year-old grandson were walking to the nearby garage on Tulbach Street. Patrick said his grandson Eden was walking beside him when suddenly he heard the boy screaming. Eden was no longer by his side.
“It was dark, and I realised he had fallen into the manhole,” a traumatised Patrick told the Herald.
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“I got down on my stomach, reached down into the manhole and shouted that he should try and take my hand. Fortunately he was able to do so and I could pull him out.”
According to Patrick, Eden was in shock, and they took him to get treatment for the minor scratches on his arms and legs.
“There was no sign to indicate the presence of a manhole, let alone one without a lid. How many other people are supposed to fall into that manhole before something is done about it?” an upset Patrick asked.