Ga. Crews Free Girl With Hand Stuck in Pool Pipe

June 9, 2011
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- Firefighters spent hours trying to free an 8-year-old girl in a Gwinnett County pool rescue Tuesday night. Roxanna Cruzs hand got stuck in a 4-inch vacuum pipe at the Spaulding apartment complex pool. Gwinnett County firefighters said they were called to the scene at 8:15 p.m. Crews spent more than three hours trying to free Cruz. Her brother kept her head above 6 feet of water until firefighters drained the pool.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. --

Firefighters spent hours trying to free an 8-year-old girl in a Gwinnett County pool rescue Tuesday night.

Roxanna Cruzs hand got stuck in a 4-inch vacuum pipe at the Spaulding apartment complex pool. Gwinnett County firefighters said they were called to the scene at 8:15 p.m.

Crews spent more than three hours trying to free Cruz. Her brother kept her head above 6 feet of water until firefighters drained the pool.

"I was really scared. It hurt so much," Cruz told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh.

Firefighters said they had to be extremely careful when they started hammering through concrete.

To chip away at the concrete, just in little pieces with that big jack hammer to where they didnt crush her little arm. That's just amazing, Gwinnett fire Lt. Eric Eberly said.

When Cruz was freed around 11:20 p.m., she was taken to Children's Hospital of Atlanta to be treated, Eberly said.

Cruz's friend said the ordeal was a lesson learned.

Mariel Vega pledged not to stick my hand in there and stay with more supervision with my parents.

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