In an astounding act of valor, a Sailor assigned to Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London rescued a woman trapped in a manhole in Wakefield, MA, on Mar. 2.
Master-at-Arms First Class Lorenzo Bell, midnight shift watch commander onboard SUBASE New London, was at home with his wife in Wakefield when he heard cries for help. Upon stepping outside to investigate, Bell found a woman trapped in a manhole.
“My wife and I were watching television and we thought we heard someone screaming but we were not sure until we heard it for a third time,” said Bell, a native of Miami. “We got up and went outside and started looking for the screaming and we found the women at the bottom of a manhole with rushing cold water flowing. I then ran to my Jeep and grabbed some rope and made a loop and threw it down to the woman and told her to put it under her arms and around her body. Some people came by and I asked them to call 911.”
Bell found the woman in bad shape. He said she showed signs of multiple injuries which could be made worse by intense movement.
“I wanted to attempt to pull her up but did not want to add any further injuries attempting to raise her on my own,” Bell said. “The woman seemed to be injured from the fall, she could not move one of her legs and it also looked like she had injured both ankles. So I just held onto her by the rope until the fire department was able to arrive and assist in getting her out.”
Bell explained how the woman fell down the utility hatch to begin with. According to Wakefield Public Works, outdated parts were the culprit.
“A public works officer told me the manhole cover on our street should have been replaced 10 years ago, because it was from the ’70s and had raised studs on it,” Bell said. “That day after it had finished snowing, a snow plow truck had come down our street and caught the cover with the plow and unknowingly dragged it several feet away. The woman was returning from the store and did not see the open hatch and fell in. When the woman fell into the hole she dropped her cell phone on the side of the road, out of her reach.”
Being in the right place at the right time, Bell was able to rescue the woman and call 911 to get her the treatment she needed. He added the woman turned out fine, and Wakefield has since taken steps to prevent future mishaps similar to this from happening again.
“Wakefield Public works replaced the manhole cover that same day,” Bell said. “The women turned out to be okay and EMS took her away to the hospital. Her legs were cold from standing in freezing water.”
Sometimes duty calls at unexpected times and we may found ourselves the Good Samaritan to someone we have never even met. When duty called for Bell during off time in an unexpected way, he answered and saved a woman’s day.
