Danielle Tammone was spending her 47th birthday at home in Bohemia, Long Island, when an ordinary moment in her backyard turned into a frightening struggle for survival.
On Thursday, Sept. 17, Tammone said the ground beneath her began to sink without warning. Within seconds, she had fallen into a hole about 8 feet deep, surrounded by water, sod and unstable material.
Her dog, Daisy, was nearby as Tammone tried to understand what had happened.
At first, she wasn’t sure what she had fallen into. She believed it could have been an old well, cesspool or sump. The walls around her were also crumbling, making an attempt to climb out dangerous.
Tammone began screaming for help.
She later said she was terrified that she could suffocate or become trapped beneath the collapsing ground. She estimated that she remained underground for roughly 30 minutes.
Her cries eventually caught the attention of two neighbors, Christine Chanowsky and Maggie. At first, they struggled to determine where the voice was coming from. They soon realized that Tammone was below the ground.
Video from the rescue shows the neighbors discovering the opening and immediately calling 911 while reassuring Tammone that help was coming.
The opening was reportedly only around a foot wide at the surface, making the situation even more difficult to understand from above. Neighbors could hear Tammone calling for help and could see part of her below the ground.
Emergency responders arrived and worked to get Tammone out safely. A ladder was brought from a nearby garage, and responders used it to help her climb out through the muddy, water-filled opening.
For Chanowsky, seeing Tammone finally emerge was an emotional moment. She said she hugged her neighbor immediately after the rescue.
Tammone, a licensed physical therapist, later said she was grateful for the neighbors and first responders who came to her aid. She reported whiplash and pulled muscles as she began recovering from the frightening experience.
The rescue also brought an unexpected birthday moment. After Tammone was safely out of the hole, the responders sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
What began as a normal birthday in her own backyard ended with Tammone being pulled from an unexpected underground opening. For her, the experience was a reminder of how quickly a familiar place can become dangerous—and how important it was that nearby neighbors heard her cries and acted quickly.
