A nine-year-old girl is recovering quickly after falling down a 20-metre well into well filled with ice-cold water in Cayuga, south of Hamilton.
Victoria Spidel suffered a broken home and hypothermia, but no serious injuries during the Family Day accident on Monday.
Spidel fell into the deep well after she jumped on its concrete cover, which crumbled. The girl had been playing in the backyard of her aunt's home with her sister.
Spidel spent nearly an hour submerged in the frigid water, hanging onto a pipe, until rescue crews were able to reach her.
Firefighters spoke about their rescue one day after the frightening ordeal. Richard Carr pulled Spidel to safety after being lowered into the 36-inch wide shaft by a harness.
"All you could see was just her face. You could see her hanging on to the pipe," Carr, a volunteer firefighter with the Haldimand County Fire Department, told reporters on Tuesday.
"She asked if we could get her out. She asked if she was able to go to school the next day."
Carr said the girl's spirit and determination made his rescue much easier.
"To make this call work, to execute a rescue like this in 20 minutes, is nothing short of incredible," said Haldimand Fire Chief Rob Grimwood. "I could not be prouder for everyone involved."
Spidel was still in a hospital on Wednesday recovering, but is expected to return to school soon.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin
