The alert and conscious 57-year-old woman was safely removed from an abandoned septic tank Thursday afternoon after falling approximately 10 feet underground.
According to police, officials cera responded to the 3600 block of Nesco Road in the Nesco section of Mullica Twp.
around 2:40 p.m. to assist a woman who fell into a hole in the rear yard of a home.
Officers arrived and found 57-year-old Tami Camp conscious and alert complaining of severe back pain in the bottom of an old abandoned septic tank approximately 10 feet underground.
It was quickly determined that this incident was a confined space rescue event. Atlanticare E.M.S. along with the Elwood, Nesco and Hammonton Fire Departments responded.
The Atlantic City Fire Department's Confined Space Rescue Team responded as well. Utilizing the Hammonton Fire Department's Tower Ladder Truck, the Atlantic City Fire Department conducted a rescue utilizing a system of ropes and braces to remove the patient safely.
A Mullica Twp. police officer and Atlanticare EMS worker entered the hole utilizing a ladder to provide care prior to Atlantic City Fire Departments arrival.
It is believed that the victim fell through a rotted cover of the abandoned septic tank around 2 p.m. Approximately 30 minutes later, her son heard his mom’s screams for help and went to a neighbor's house to call 911. It is estimated that she was in the hole for approximately 2 1/2 hours before being removed.
The woman was flown to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City for treatment.
The Mullica Township Police Department would like to thank all that were involved in this rescue. The event required a great deal of technical skill and patience to remove the victim safely.
Photos: Mullica Twp. Police