Christine Keilback of Winnipeg, Manitoba, went out to a movie on Saturday, but the real drama happened when she got home. You could say the evening went in a “hole” new direction. Keilback’s friends, Lynda and Jeff Regan, pulled up around 9 p.m. to drop her off at her house. She got out of the passenger side, took a couple of steps, and she was gone. The Regans, still inside the vehicle, thought she had tripped and fallen. When they went around the car, they were surprised to find Keilback up to her neck in the ground. “The ground had just given way very fast,” said Keilback. “I have no recollection of the fall, it just happened very quickly.” Jeff immediately ran to find something for Keilback to hang on to, returning with a broom and shovel that could span the gap and give her a brace to hook her arms around. Keilback tried to boost herself out, but every foothold immediately crumbled away. The couple finally decided to call 911, and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service arrived within 10 minutes. Keilback said she was able to keep her sense of humor through the ordeal. “If you can see the pictures, I mean, I was laughing.” She was also incredibly lucky, as firefighters removed a jagged piece of metal that was sticking out of the soil behind Keilback. Firefighters hooked some strapping under Keilback’s arms to support her before taking a few minutes to consider the best approach to getting her out. Ultimately, they decided to put up a frame and winch to lift her. Keilback was given a harness and coached on how to put it on. Getting the straps under her legs meant she had to dip her face below ground level, which was a little disconcerting, she said. It took about 40 minutes from the time she dropped into the hole until she was back on solid ground. Further investigation indicated that a catch basin was missing a manhole cover, and that allowed Keilback to slip into the hole. The area was secured and permanent repairs were scheduled to be completed as soon as possible.
