Cell phone video obtained by 7 Eyewitness News shows Buffalo firefighters lowering a ladder Tuesday morning into a sewer to reach 12 year-old Grace Knox, and Knox climbing to safety moments later.
Knox was walking to Southside Elementary School around 7:30 a.m. when she fell 12 feet into an open manhole on Rutland Street near South Legion Drive.
She was trapped for about an hour in a foot of rushing water. With no cell phone, all she could do was call for help.
A passerby, George Bankowski of South Buffalo, heard her cries and came to her aide. He alerted rescuers, who arrived a short time later.
Knox underwent surgery on her ankle and will not be able to walk for weeks.
Police believe pranksters or vandals removed the manhole cover overnight.
7 Eyewitness News Reporter Ed Reilly talked with George Bankowski about his efforts to save the seventh grade student.
