A family mourns the loss of a 2-year-old toddler, Wednesday, February 19, in Aransas Pass. Charleigh Nicole Nelson and her family were at the Paradise Lagoons RV Resort Park in Aransas visiting Charleigh’s father who is working nearby.
The family is unsure how the accident happened, but the small girl ended up falling into a 15-foot-deep septic tank at the RV park. Residents of the RV park speculate that the girl was walking around on a manhole cover that was not properly secured and it buckled under her.
Have you or a loved one been involved in an accident? Speak to a lawyer for a free no obligation consultation
Or call us at (888) 699-7975
The family and other residents of the RV park tried to reach the girl using ropes, but they were too short to reach her.
A business that was near the RV park lent the residents a backhoe to try and get the girl out of the tank, but that was unsuccessful as well.
Around 4:30 p.m. a member of the Ingleside Fire and Rescue Team was lowered down into the tank to recover the little girl. It was reported that she was in the tank for over an hour at that point.
The 15-foot-deep tank was less than 2 feet in diameter. By the time rescuers reached the little girl, she was already dead. The member of the rescue team brought her remains back to the surface.
Several local authorities responded in the rescue effort. The Rockport Volunteer Fire Department, Ingleside Fire Department, Fulton Volunteer Fire Department, and Aransas Pass Fire Department were all on the scene. Some of these agencies are considered out of district for the Aransas/Rockport area but were moved to help in the efforts to rescue the girl.
In the last 10 years, Child Protective Services stated that there have been three other similar drownings involving children in nearby areas. They also stated that there have already been three water drownings involving children in 2020.
The authorities are still investigating the circumstances around the death of the young girl and will provide updates as they become available.