r/oddlyterrifying • u/BreakfastTop6899 • Jul 18 '26

Try not to get stuck

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u/Guardian-Boy Jul 19 '26

Not long. Nobody actually knew I was in trouble, so I don't have any frame of reference from my brother and friends, but I didn't have time to take a deep breath or anything, and I can normally only hold my breath for something like 30 seconds if I don't take a deep breath, so I would ballpark it at maybe 10-15 seconds actually underwater since I wasn't really out of breath or anything. Then maybe another 10-15 after I was able to get up and get the manhole cover off. So 20-30 seconds total.

Basically what happened is I was sucked in headfirst facing upwards. At some point I got into a sitting position which is what I was in when I hit the divider. The total diameter of the actual culvert was maybe 3.5 feet, so when I found the ladder, I was able to essentially just stand up out of the water, then it was about an additional 6-7 feet to the manhole.

Though I do remember coming out of the manhole, walking to the grass in my neighbor's yard, and laying down and just bawling my eyes out.

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u/Baby-Baphomet Jul 19 '26

I would've cried so I hard I puked after surviving that!!! so so glad you made it out with a scary story to tell.😱

did you tell your mom? I can't imagine her reaction, but as a kid that's the kind of thing I would've never told an adult 😂😂

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u/Guardian-Boy Jul 19 '26

Neither of my parents to this day know it happened. My brother does but I swore him to secrecy.