Dramatic Rescue Of 10-Year-Old Girl Whose Finger Was Trapped In School Swimming Pool

BEACON, NY — A complicated rescue effort went into saving a girl who was trapped in a school swimming pool.

Beacon firefighters, ambulance crews and police responded to Beacon High School on Tuesday after a 10-year-old girl got her finger trapped in a section of the school’s Olympic-size swimming pool.

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The City of Beacon Fire Department said the call came in at 4:08 p.m. at the school, on Matteawan Road. Responders arrived to find the child’s finger lodged in an approximately half-inch opening in he pool.

Firefighters began what the department described as an "extended technical rescue operation" to free the young swimmer while trying to avoid causing any further injury. The rescue required crews to partially drain water from the pool and use specialized rescue equipment to carefully cut away a portion of the pool.

Crews were able to free the child’s finger. The girl suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to the department.

Beacon Volunteer Ambulance also responded to the school. The City of Beacon Police Department assisted at the scene during the incident.

The Arlington Fire District was requested for additional help with specialized cutting equipment, according to the department, but that response was canceled while crews were still on the way. Castle Point Fire Department provided standby coverage in the City of Beacon during the rescue.