By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — Crosswell firefighters rescued an 11-year-old Easley boy after he fell 30 feet down a well Sunday afternoon.
Crosswell fire chief Scott Smith said the call came in from Sandalwood Drive in Easley at 5:05 p.m. Sunday.
“An 11-year-old boy had fallen into the well and was in the water,” Smith said.
The boy had stepped on the wooden covering over the well, he said.
“He went straight through and down into the well,” Smith said.
Firefighters were on the scene several minutes after receiving the call.
The boy had managed to find a small ledge in the well to brace himself on, but he was still waist or chest-deep in the water, Smith said.
The boy was alert and was able to talk to rescuers, Smith said.
“He wasn’t complaining of any pain,” he said. “He complained of being a little cold, of a little numbness from being in the water.”
Firefighters began arranging their equipment, including air monitoring equipment, “so we knew what we were getting into,” Smith said.
Firefighters sent a single rescuer into the well to secure a rescue harness around the boy, then hoisted the two up, he said.
Rescuers had the boy out of the well just more than an hour after receiving the call, Smith said.
Pickens County EMS examined the boy and transported him to the Greenville Health System for further evaluation.
“He was in good spirits,” Smith said. “He was communicating with us the entire time, so we knew he was in good shape.”
It was a “textbook extraction,” Smith said.
“We were fortunate, and he was fortunate,” he said. “We’re grateful for the outcome. It could have been a lot worse. He said he couldn’t touch the bottom of the well. We don’t know how deep that well is.”
The Crosswell Fire Department had about 12 of its people on the scene, Smith said. The Easley Fire Department and Parker Fire District provided assistance.
“We called them as we were rolling,” Smith said.
Pickens County Emergency Management, Pickens County EMS and Pickens County Rescue were also at the scene.
Smith urged those who have wells on their properties to examine their coverings.
“Over time, wood deteriorates,” he said. “We do have them all over the county.”