Woman Hears Her Backyard Give Way — Then Finds Herself 8 Feet Underground
A walk across Danielle Tammone’s own backyard turned into a rescue Thursday morning when the ground suddenly began disappearing beneath her feet.
Tammone told News 12 Long Island that she was outside her Bohemia home when the earth started sinking. Within moments, she was about eight feet down, surrounded by water and pieces of sod.
She believed she had fallen into what appeared to be an old well. Getting herself back out did not seem like a safe option: Tammone was worried the stone and brick around her could crumble if she tried climbing.
So she started screaming.
Eventually, someone answered.
Someone Heard
Two neighbors heard Tammone’s cries and went looking for the source. Video obtained by News 12 showed them finding her and calling 911.
Neighbor Christine Chanowsky described an opening only about 12 inches wide and said Tammone’s shoes were still visible outside it. From below, they could hear her calling for help.
Police arrived a short time later. According to the neighbors interviewed by News 12, officers got a ladder from a nearby garage and used it to help Tammone climb back to the surface.
Chanowsky said she hugged Tammone when she emerged and began to tear up upon seeing that she was OK.
A Soft Landing
For a fall of roughly eight feet, Tammone came away remarkably well.
She told News 12 she was not injured and believed the sod and water at the bottom had softened her landing. She was also relieved that she had not landed directly on stone.
The experience still left little doubt about how frightening an ordinary walk through the yard had become.
“It was just sod and water,” Tammone said, “but still scary.”
