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Culvert collapses on 12-year-old boy

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By KYLE MARTIN, Hernando Today

Published: November 24, 2007

SPRING HILL - The secluded spot behind the chain link fence was a natural magnet to any boy with an imagination: Shady pines, tall bluffs and soft sand for rolling in.

Its siren call was answered Friday afternoon by five adolescents looking for a way to spend the last days of their Thanksgiving break.

And it almost killed them.

Just after 2 p.m., they were scooping out the sand beneath a long concrete culvert when the drainpipe snapped in half, pinning three.

Two were able to crawl out, but 12-year-old Reed, whose last name was not released, was not so fortunate.

The steep ravine is adjacent to a clubhouse under construction on Sterling Hills Boulevard. Firefighters from Spring Hill Fire Rescue piled out of two engines and scurried down the hillside.

Reed's friends had scooped some of the sand out his face, but he was still having trouble breathing. Part of that was because the culvert was weighing down on his upper body, Spring Hill firefighter Troy Hagar explained.

The soft "sugar sand" likely played a large role in saving Reed's life because it cushioned more of the blow. But it also required a cautious approach from firefighters because they didn't want to cause a further collapse.

Hagar said Reed was face down in the sand, but conscious and talking throughout the ordeal.

Firefighters spent 50 minutes bracing the culvert with chains and digging out a small hole by hand until Reed was free. He was flown by helicopter to a Tampa hospital for bruising on his chest, but his injuries weren't considered life threatening.

"He was very lucky," said Capt. Alex Lopez.

Sean Nguyen said the five boys, including his son Nicholas, usually hang out together and play football in his yard. He was getting around to putting up Christmas lights when his wife set out to find their son and his friends.

He heard the lights and sirens and saw the medical helicopter buzz overhead, but Nguyen put it down to an accident in the neighborhood. His wife was driving around and pulled over when she saw the fire engines packed into the construction site's driveway.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com

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