Long Island woman Danielle Tammone was celebrating her 47th birthday in her Bohemia garden when the ground suddenly collapsed beneath her, dropping her into an approximately eight-foot-deep cesspool. Trapped in muddy water and unable to climb the slippery walls, she feared she could be buried alive before nearby neighbours heard her screams and called emergency services.

Tammone spent about ten minutes underground while her dog, Daisy, circled the hole and her neighbours encouraged her to keep calling for help. Police officers eventually used a ladder to pull her out, and her rescuers sang “Happy Birthday” afterwards; the article did not confirm whether she suffered injuries.