Parker County, Texas Rescuers Save Foal that Fell Into Water Well

A 24-day-old foal that was rescued from a dry 30-foot water well Monday night will be called Lucky Jessica, said Jason Williams, a lieutenant with the Parker County Firefighters Association Search and Rescue team.

Williams, who is also a Haltom City firefighter, was lowered to the bottom of the hand-dug, rock-lined well in a harness to help retrieve the frightened animal. He said he was provided a syringe with medication to calm the filly to prevent injury to the animal or himself. Webbing and a winch truck were used to raise Lucky Jessica to the surface.

"When I got there, I was told to go harness up. There was a vet there and he talked to me. He told me that when I got hooked up, he'd give me a syringe, and that it contained a sedative, and that I was to give it to her. He told me that would prevent her from jumping up on me or beating me to death.

"When he handed it to me right before I went in the hole, I said, 'Now half of this is for me and half of this is for her, right? He answered no."'

Williams sedated the filly, then placed a harness around her so rescue team members aboveground could pull him and the foal out of the well.

Rescue workers were called to the Brock/Dennis area near Farm Road 1189 about 7 p.m. Monday. The rescue was completed about 9:30 p.m. Williams said one of his co-workers stayed behind to see the filly reunited with its mother.

Lucky Jessica was not injured, Williams said.