Girl sucked down storm drain while playing found 100 yards away, FL cops say

UPDATE: The 5-year-old girl has died at a hospital, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said on Aug. 28. Read the update here.

The original story is below.

A child swept into a storm drain during a water main break in Florida has been hospitalized in critical condition, deputies said.

A 911 call came in at 6:14 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24, reporting that a girl was sucked down a storm drain on Bahia Vista Street, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies told WWSB and WFLA the child was playing nearby when the incident happened.

Heavy rain brought flooding to the area, and the flooding combined with the 12-inch water main break created a current that pulled the child into the storm drain, officials said.

Deputies arrived on scene within five minutes, and the child was found in a wooded retention area about 100 yards away, across the street from Sarasota Christian School, according to the sheriff’s office.

She was still hospitalized in critical condition as of Aug. 25, deputies said.

Photos shared by the Sarasota County Government on Facebook Aug. 25 showed an excavator filling in a large hole that spanned roughly one and a half lanes of the road.

“Sarasota County Public Utilities contractors worked through the night to fill in the portion of Bahia Vista Street damaged by a water main break on Sunday, Aug. 24,” officials said.

The investigation into the child’s accident is ongoing.

This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Girl sucked down storm drain while playing found 100 yards away, FL cops say."