Woman steps into puddle and plunges into '10ft deep' hole of sewage

Woman steps into puddle and plunges into ’10ft deep’ hole filled with sewage after a night out

Laura Gerber, 23, stepped out of a car in Watford and into a 10ft hole of sewage
The sinkhole looked ‘just like a puddle’ but has since been filled in by workmen
She was hospitalised after swallowing foul water and suffered severe vomiting

A woman was hospitalised suffering from severe vomiting after she stepped into a 10ft deep hole in the road filled with sewage.

The crater in Jubilee Road, Watford, near the junction with Leavesden Road, was said to be a ‘sinkhole’.

It has now been drained and filled by workmen but on Sunday night, when it first opened up, it looked ‘just like a puddle’ when 23-year-old Laura Gerber plunged into it.

Miss Gerber stepped out of a car after a night out, at around 2.30am on Sunday, March 12, and screamed as she fell into the sewage.

Her partner Jason Topping, 26, said: ‘Her whole head went under, and she swallowed sewage water.

Laura Gerber, 23, stands head-to-toe covered in sewage after climbing out of the 10ft sinkhole in Watford

‘It’s not nice to say but luckily she hit her back, so her arms went out and she stopped herself.

‘If she hadn’t, I probably would not have a girlfriend here today.

‘As she put her hands to the side, she managed to cling on and, in a miracle, climbed out.’

Miss Gerber took to social media to warn people, after being discharged from a visit to hospital to get checked.

She was worried a child or an elderly person would die if they fell into the hole which she said was 10ft deep.

She wrote ‘I just want to stress how serious this could have been.’

On Monday, March 13, she became seriously ill, vomiting three times and was unable to keep food down.

After Miss Gerber was taken back to Watford General Hospital, Mr Topping thought it would be ‘in and out’ but she has remained there ‘in a bad way’ he said.

Miss Gerber was taken to Watford General Hospital suffering severe sickness and she has remained there ‘in a bad way

Mr Topping, a self-employed damp-proofer, said: ‘Where we stand currently is a waiting game for all the results to come through.

‘It’s my daughter’s first birthday in four days and we might be celebrating it without Laura.’

He described what happened as ‘two near-death experiences’.

Mr Topping said hospital staff believe that Leptospirosis, a disease spread through animals’ urine, may be what has caused Miss Gerber’s illness, but they are still doing tests to confirm it.

Miss Gerber’s entire head went into the sewage in what she called ‘one of the scariest experiences of my life’.

It has now been drained and filled by workmen but on Sunday night, when it first opened up, it looked ‘just like a puddle’ when 23-year-old Laura Gerber plunged into it

She wrote on Facebook ‘We got out of a friends car (in the exact same spot as we were picked up from) I stepped backwards to let someone else out the car and dropped straight into a sink hole (sic).

‘I hit my back on the way down and massively injured myself. After gasping for breath under the water and somewhat managing to keep myself afloat.

‘I managed to gain strength and pull myself up. All that I was thinking in those moments was that this is the end.

‘If I have hit my head instead of my back and lost consciousness I would’ve gone under and due to the current below I would’ve gotten completely lost and never been found again.

‘After sitting in A&E half of the day. Having multiple tests, bloods taken, X-rays, injections and antibiotics I have now learnt about Leptospirosis (rat’s urine). This can be life threatening.

‘All I ask is if ever you come into contact with sewage PLEASE be seen immediately.’

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