A disabled grandmother has told of her brush with death when she tumbled into what appeared to be a ‘sinkhole’ while attempting to rescue her dog.
Carol Carne, 61, was walking her three cockapoos in Eston Recreation Ground, North Yorkshire, on 27 December when her pooch, three year old Ruby, fell into what seemed like an enormous puddle. In her rush to assist, Carol approached the water’s edge – now identified as a sinkhole – only to have the ground collapse under her, plunging her into the icy waters.
The Eston resident was entirely submerged and fought desperately to keep herself and Ruby from drowning. Her screams eventually drew the attention of three kind-hearted strangers who came to their rescue.
Carol is convinced that without their intervention, she would not have survived the ordeal in the sinkhole. She said: “We were walking and I let the dogs off the lead when we were in Eston Recreation Ground.
“They ran ahead and I suddenly noticed all this water ahead – at the time I thought it was a huge puddle. But I noticed a plastic barrier in the water and I shouted for the dogs to come back.”
“Pippa and Stitch came back but it was too late for Ruby – she fell in. I called for her but I realised she couldn’t get out as the gap between the water and the ground was too high.”
She was starting to panic. I rushed over and used my stick to try and hook her coat to drag her to the side.
“But as I was doing that – even though I was about a foot and a half away from the edge – the ground beneath me gave way and I just plunged straight down.”
Carol recounted the terrifying ordeal of being submerged underwater, expressing her fear: “I plunged down and I remember opening my eyes and looking up to see that I’d gone far underwater.”
She continued, describing the chilling experience: “It was freezing. I swam to the top and grabbed Ruby – who by that point was basically drowning.
“But I myself was gasping for air and whenever I tried to get out – the ground on the side was giving way. I screamed and screamed for help and it felt like a lifetime waiting for someone to get to me.”
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Two women initially attempted to rescue Carol but found it difficult. It was only when a man, who had been nearby, joined in that they managed to pull Carol and Ruby to safety.
Carol expressed her gratitude and her ongoing search to personally thank the man: “I’ve since thanked the two ladies but I’m still trying to track down the gentleman to thank him.”
She reflected on the life-saving intervention: “If it wasn’t for those three people, I wouldn’t be here today.”
The incident left a deep impression on Carol: “I’ve never been so frightened in all my life. I genuinely thought I was going to drown.”
After the event, Carol criticised the safety measures in place at the time: “There was a plastic barrier in the water – and then after what happened to me they put some more around it. But it wasn’t until today that they put up solid metal barriers.
“And that was after I had fallen in – and after another dog fell in the other day.”
Carol has since issued a warning to parents and pet owners in the area, advising them to be vigilant: “Carol has warned parents to keep an eye on their children when in the area – and urged dog owners to avoid taking their dogs near the water.”
She expressed her concern, saying: “People need to be warned about this.”
“I was lucky. I had help. But what if someone’s on their own? What if a kid runs up to it? ” Carol recounted the traumatic event: “I’ve cried for days about this.”
“It was such a horrible experience.”
She reported that initially, there were no safety measures in place around the sinkhole. It was only after her fall that the council erected plastic barriers, and following another dog’s fall, they installed metal barriers and stationed 24-hour security.
However, Carol feels the council’s response was not swift enough.
A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council responded with assurances: “Our staff have again secured the site around the hole with Heras Fencing, and 24-hour security is on site to ensure the safety of the public.”
They also addressed previous issues with the fencing: “The site was secured earlier this week, again with Heras Fencing, but this was taken down by persons unknown.”
The council wished the victim well: “We hope the woman affected makes a full recovery and we would like to thank the members of the public who came to her aid.”
They reiterated their caution to residents: “We would like to again ask residents to please avoid the area around the hole for their own safety.”