A 61-year-old woman trapped in her swimming pool for hours was recovered safely by a neighbor thanks to social media.
Leslie Kahn was pool-dwelling at her home in Epping, New Hampshire August 11 when she stepped on the ladder to get out and it broke.
Kahn, a breast cancer survivor, was unable to work up the strength to lift herself out of the pool without assistance.
‘Without having something for my feet to get leverage on, and without that upper body strength, it wasn’t happening,’ Kahn told WRAL when she recalled the frightening incident.
Leslie Kahn, 61, was trapped in her swimming pool in Epping, New Hampshire August 11
The cancer survivor was unable to work up the strength to lift herself out of the pool without assistance from someone else
She was trapped in the water for nearly three hours as her phone sat inside her house
Kahn finally remembered her iPad was nearby, so she grabbed the pool’s telescoping pole and used it to drag the device
Kahn, teacher who was off work for the summer, had been trapped in the water for nearly three hours as her phone sat inside her house.
After a period of time, Kahn remembered her iPad was nearby, so she grabbed a hold of the pool’s telescoping pole and used it to drag the device towards her.
‘I grabbed the iPad, hooked up to Wi-Fi and asked my community for help,’ Kahn said.
Kahn alerted her neighbors by writing ‘911’ in social media forum Epping Squawks, which immediately attracted members’ attention.
Kahn used the iPad to send an alert to her community Facebook page asking neighbors for help
She wanted to get the attention of people by starting the message off with ‘911!’
Several concerned residents offered help and expressed concerns
Within moments, a neighbor living a few blocks down the street arrived to help
‘My pool ladder broke while I was trying to get out of the pool. Home alone, phone is inside. I need someone to bring me tools and help me change the steps so I can get out of the pool,’ she wrote in the plea.
‘I’m serious. I don’t have the agility to climb out any other way. Hunter Drive.’
Several people responded to the post with offers and concerns, and within moments, a woman who lived a few streets down the road showed up to her place of residence.
‘I was really glad to see her friendly face. I sent her inside for the toolbox, and then the police came,’ Kahn said.
Police arrived to the scene shortly after Kahn’s neighbor Tracie showed up
Kahn said she was reminded of ‘the value of community’ following the overwhelming support she received from fellow residents
Afterward, she informed her worried neighbors that Tracie had arrived and she was ‘OK.’
Another neighbor rushed to the scene after he spotted the police car driving up the street.
Kahn said she was reminded of ‘the value of community’ following the overwhelming and timely support she received from fellow residents and friends in the town.
She said, ‘People keep saying, ‘I bet you can laugh about it now.’ I was laughing about it then. What else can you do!,’ WBZ reported.