Luz A. Jimenez helped to save Alyson B. Machigua from drowning, Hackettstown, New Jersey, June 16, 2014. While playing in the yard of a residence, Alyson, 3, broke through the ground atop an abandoned cesspool and dropped 11 feet into the dark pit, the bottom of which contained water 30 inches deep. Jimenez, 26, restaurant server, who was inside the nearby house, was alerted. She looked through the small hole created by Alyson’s fall but could not see her, although she could hear her. Jimenez obtained an extension cord and, holding to one end of it, started to lower herself into the pit as another person held the other end. A responding police officer aided by lowering Jimenez into the pit, and then she dropped into the water, which was cold and muddy. Jimenez grasped Alyson and held her for several minutes until firefighters arrived and lowered a ladder into the pit. Jimenez climbed the ladder holding Alyson and handed her out to the officer. She was then assisted out of the opening to safety. Alyson was taken to the hospital for observation but was not injured. Jimenez was cold after the rescue and suffered from skin irritation; she recovered.
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