City Plans Changes For Storm Drain

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A 14 year old escapes with only minor injuries after being swept into a storm drain.  It happened Wednesday evening after firefighters say a water main break created a whirlpool. 

The teen walked away after ending up in a creek six blocks away.  People who live nearby say they have always worried that a child would be sucked into the storm drain, and on Wednesday it finally happened.

The break caused flash flooding on 90th East Avenue, near 4^th Place.  And, the high water created a whirlpool.  It proved irresistible to a group of teenagers, who began playing in the water.  Then, suddenly, one of them vanished.

"She heard a gasp and she turned away.  And when she turned back, she was gone, Tiffany was gone. There was no sign of her," said witness Vicki Haugen.

After traveling underground for nearly half a mile, the 14-year-old girl ended up near Mingo Creek.  Amazingly, authorities say she wasn't hurt badly, and began walking back to her friends.

"I was just ill.  I was just fearful that the girl wasn't alive," said nearby homeowner Mary Brians.

Mary Brian says she saw the teen disappear into the water.  The storm drain sits in front of her and her husband Joe's home, and she is constantly chasing kids away from it.

"This is a kid magnet, for bicycles, skateboarders, just kids walking by home from school," said nearby homeowner Mary Brians.

A makeshift barrier has been erected around the drain, but the couple believes more precautions are needed.  They say whirlpools often pop up after heavy rains.

"It does the same thing in May and June. It's just too much water trying to go down one hole, that's all there is to it," said Joe Brians.

The Brians say the 14-year-old is lucky to be alive, and hope that Wednesday's near-miss will prompt the city to take action.

"I didn't even know the girl, but I knew it wasn't going to end that way, and I was so happy she come walking up," said Mary Brians.

The City of Tulsa announced late Thursday afternoon that it will weld a pipe across the storm drain opening.  Officials say it should prevent anyone else from getting swept into the drain, but it may create flooding issues in the area.

Related Story:

09/03/2008    Teen Swept Away By Water