3-Year-Old Girl Drowns In Ice Cream Parlor's Grease Trap
A 3-year-old girl is dead after falling into an Alabama ice cream parlor’s grease trap and drowning in the sludge.
Sadie Grace Andrews was playing with her siblings outside Bruster’s Real Ice Cream in Auburn on Saturday afternoon when the accident happened, according to AL.com.
The 6-foot-deep grease trap wasn’t locked or secured, Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told the website. It opened when Sadie stepped onto its lid, he said, and the trap closed behind her when she fell in.
The girl was missing for five to 10 minutes before she was found, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Family members and employees of the ice cream business tried to revive her with CPR, but she was unresponsive.
No foul play is suspected, according to the coroner.
The ice cream parlor posted a condolence note to the family on its Facebook page. An employee said the business will be closed Wednesday, the day of Sadie’s funeral, out of respect for the family.
Bruster’s Ice Cream CEO Jim Sehene expressed his sympathies after the incident.
“As a father and grandfather myself, I cannot imagine the grief the family is going through,” Sahene told AL.com. “We can only hope that they find some comfort in the outpouring of support we have seen since this tragedy happened.”
Sehene said the company has asked all franchises to inspect grease traps as a precaution.
Sadie’s mother, Corrie Andrews, told AL.com that Sadie was outgoing and loved singing Elvis songs with her father.
“It’s really quiet around here without her today,” Corrie said. “She was the life of the party.”
Sadie’s uncle, Chad Vermillion, is raising money for funeral expenses through a YouCaring crowdfunding account. The account had nearly raised $16,500 by Tuesday afternoon.
For additional details about the incident, head to AL.com.
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