Elderly Woman Rescued from Well
Published: January 25, 2007
An elderly woman endured an ordeal Wednesday afternoon after spending hours trapped in a well in waist-deep frigid water in Northumberland County.
Firefighters were called to a house in Delaware Township just off of Route 54 near Turbotville. Shirley Willett, 71, had fallen into an outdoor well near her home.
Relatives said Willett was trying to turn on a heat lamp so the family’s water pipes wouldn’t freeze. They think she stepped on a rotted board and fell into about four feet of frigid water around noon.
Willett’s granddaughter said she was terrified when she heard her grandmother’s cries for help.
“I came home at 3:30 today and heard my grandmother yelling and found her in the well. She told me she had been in there since 12 or 12:30. She went to plug in the light for the heater so the pump wouldn’t freeze up,” granddaughter Serena Witmer said.
Relatives said another man was injured when he jumped into the well, trying to rescue Willett.
Both were taken to the hospital to be treated.
According to the Warrior Run Area fire chief, Willett is being treated for hypothermia. She was alert and talking to firefighters.
Her family describes the woman as a tough and very independent woman. They think she’s strong enough to pull through the frightening ordeal.
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