Crews completed a body recovery from a storm drain near Mustang Way at 10:12 p.m. on Oct. 15, hours after the Calimesa Fire Department received a medical emergency call. The circumstances that led the person into the drain were not detailed in the cited account; the Riverside County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation.
A friend found the person inside the underground storm drain, according to the Yucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror. Initial reports estimated the person was 200 to 300 feet into the drainage system.
A Deeper, More Dangerous Search Than First Reported
After crews entered the system, they located the person approximately 750 feet inside, the News Mirror reported. The change from the initial estimate helps explain why the response required additional assistance.
Calimesa requested specialized urban search-and-rescue assistance, and the Corona Fire Department joined the operation, according to the News Mirror. The response became a confined-space body recovery rather than a rescue.
Hours Underground Before Recovery Was Completed
The News Mirror reported that crews carried out the recovery using confined-space safety procedures. The operation began with the 4:42 p.m. call and was completed at 10:12 p.m.
The City of Calimesa thanked its fire department, the Corona Fire Department and other responding personnel, according to a press release cited by the News Mirror. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office assumed responsibility for the active investigation; the outlet said further inquiries should be directed to that office.
Who maintains the storm drains?
According to the City of Calimesa Public Works Department, the department maintains city infrastructure, including storm drains. The cited city information does not specify a routine inspection or maintenance schedule for the Mustang Way area.
A Separate Storm-Drain Death in Oregon
A separate case in Eugene, Oregon, involved 55-year-old Bradley Dean Treloggen, who was found dead in a storm-drain system in the city's Santa Clara neighborhood on Aug. 6. Lookout Eugene-Springfield reported that Eugene Springfield Fire and the sheriff's office responded to the intersection of Lantana Avenue and Dahlia Lane after a call just after 5:45 a.m.
Investigators in Oregon said video showed Treloggen alone as he appeared to open a grate and enter the drain, where he was unable to get out, the outlet reported. The drain was described as no more than 3 feet wide. His body was taken to the Lane County Morgue, and the sheriff's office and medical examiner were still investigating the death as of Aug. 11.
