Dunmore Police Investigate Storm Drain Safety After Toddler Fall
By: Eric Deabill
Updated: November 12, 2012
Dunmore, Lackawanna County - Police are investigating the safety of several storm drains after a toddler fell into one over the weekend.
Dunmore police chief Pat Reese was back along the 1500-block of Monroe Avenue Monday afternoon.
While the storm drain is now covered up, the police department is still looking into how an 18-month-old child slipped into a storm drain Saturday night.
"Never in our wild imagination would we believe that an accident like this would occur with the drain, ever," Chief Reese said.
Chief Reese says the boyfriend of the toddler's mother was putting two young kids into a car when the 18-month-old slipped back and fell into the five-foot drain, which was filled with two-feet of water.
"He put the one baby inside and the other baby slipped out of his hand and as he slipped out of his hand, he went backwards and he's telling us the baby slipped right into the hole," Chief Reese said.
The chief took Eyewitness News around the borough Monday, explaining there are several other storm drains just like the one where the toddler fell.
Many of the storm drains are not covered or blocked in any way.
Parents say it's something they've never even considered.
"We have two kids and a few dogs running around the house and I would never want something like that to happen," parent Jenny Ondek said.
Police are currently treating what happened as an accident. Officers are now looking at dozens of storm drains, asking the question, is there a safety issue?
The chief plans to talk with the Scranton Sewer Authority.
"Have the sewer authority take a look at this, like I said, this to me, on Green Ridge and Clay Avenue looks like a brand new one and the hole looks big to me as well, definitely a ball or child or somebody can definitely slip into that," Chief Reese said.
"It's definitely very tragic, very disheartening," Ondek said.
Police say the toddler is still in the hospital. He has improved from critical to stable condition.
Dunmore police chief Pat Reese was back along the 1500-block of Monroe Avenue Monday afternoon.
While the storm drain is now covered up, the police department is still looking into how an 18-month-old child slipped into a storm drain Saturday night.
"Never in our wild imagination would we believe that an accident like this would occur with the drain, ever," Chief Reese said.
Chief Reese says the boyfriend of the toddler's mother was putting two young kids into a car when the 18-month-old slipped back and fell into the five-foot drain, which was filled with two-feet of water.
"He put the one baby inside and the other baby slipped out of his hand and as he slipped out of his hand, he went backwards and he's telling us the baby slipped right into the hole," Chief Reese said.
The chief took Eyewitness News around the borough Monday, explaining there are several other storm drains just like the one where the toddler fell.
Many of the storm drains are not covered or blocked in any way.
Parents say it's something they've never even considered.
"We have two kids and a few dogs running around the house and I would never want something like that to happen," parent Jenny Ondek said.
Police are currently treating what happened as an accident. Officers are now looking at dozens of storm drains, asking the question, is there a safety issue?
The chief plans to talk with the Scranton Sewer Authority.
"Have the sewer authority take a look at this, like I said, this to me, on Green Ridge and Clay Avenue looks like a brand new one and the hole looks big to me as well, definitely a ball or child or somebody can definitely slip into that," Chief Reese said.
"It's definitely very tragic, very disheartening," Ondek said.
Police say the toddler is still in the hospital. He has improved from critical to stable condition.
