Toddler falls into septic tank at Maple Creek, Sask., visitor centre

A Calgary family are concerned for their daughter's health after the 21-month-old fell into a septic tank at a tourist information centre in Maple Creek, Sask., last Thursday.

Trevor Pickersgill, Denaie McCarthy and their three daughters were on their way to Regina when they stopped at the information centre for lunch.

The children were playing over the septic tank, situated about five metres away from the picnic table where the couple were sitting, when their youngest daughter,Nataya,fell through the plastic cover on top of the septic tank.

"My daughter fell 10 feet into the septic water. I screamed," said McCarthy. "My husband came running, didn't think for a second. [He] jumped in."

Pickersgill saidNataya was submerged in sewage.

"She was completely in the water, but floating," he said.

"She was going through the little tunnel into a different part of the septic tank, and I reached in and grabbed her leg."

Pulled to safety

Bystanders at the information centre got a rope and pulled Pickersgill and his daughter to safety.

McCarthy said that Nataya suffered a five-centimetregash on the back of her head as a result of the fall, and seemed to exhibit concussion-like symptoms.

The two older daughters watched the fall and are "devastated" about what happened, according to McCarthy.

"They can't sleep, because all they picture is their baby down there," she said.

Nataya was taken to a hospital in Maple Creek afterward. The parentshavealso taken her to the Children's Hospital in Calgary regarding their health concerns. They also plan on taking Nataya to their family doctor on Tuesdayto get blood tests done.

Province reviewing

The Ministry of Central Services has since ordered an immediate review of its 52 septic tanks and hatches throughout the province.

Deputy Minister Richard Murray said that half of those have been examined, while the remainder will be completed earlier this week.

"At this time, we've not determined whether the lid was damaged or rusted or fatigued or broken or tampered with or simply not secured prior to the incident."

Murray said a report on the incident is forthcoming.

"We are conducting an investigation into how these children were able to gain access to the septic tank," he said.

"We've got our director of risk management and our building manager for the southwest and environmental engineer on site today in Maple Creek to do interviews and examine the tank and the lid and just get to the bottom of this."

Pickersgill said more could have been done to prevent the incident from happening in the first place.

"Could have been a lot heavier lid, not a thin little plastic lid. It wasn't on properly."