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Can you swim in a pit toilet for $1 million? What about a free cell phone? OK, what about sunglasses?
As ridiculous as those questions sound, a gut-searching rescue at a California campground has reignited a very common conversation: Do you value a little personal belonging more than avoiding a chemical toilet flush?
On Saturday, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a man trapped in a camp toilet at Camp Edison Shaver Lake. According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the man was trying to remove his sunglasses and followed them into the abyss.
“A translator was brought in for the man who only spoke Spanish. It was decided that the man threw his sunglasses inside the toilet, in the chemical bin. In an attempt to get them out, the man fell a few feet into the hole and started screaming for help,” the office told GearJunkie.
Deputies and firefighters were able to pull the man to safety.
But not after “10 to 15 minutes,” to quote Red of The Shawshank Redemption“smelling dirt I can’t even imagine, or maybe I don’t want to.”
Because of his exposure to urine, feces, and chemicals, he was put on a detoxification program. Then he was able to walk, otherwise unharmed.
PSA: Pit Toilets Are Not Safe
Although it seems like common sense not to risk falling into a pit toilet because of a lost item, it happens more often than one would expect.
In October 2022, a woman fell 8 feet into a pit toilet in Washington State. Missing item? His cell phone. In 2023, authorities had to rescue a woman who had fallen into a pit toilet in northern Michigan. Who is in this case? A discounted Apple Watch.
Although the victims in those cases were alive, this fall can be fatal. In 2014, two people died trying to flush a new cell phone out of a pit toilet in China.
Although obviously disgusting, being trapped in a pit toilet is very dangerous.
“Regarding safety tips, never try to reach inside an underground toilet tank. If you drop something inside, consider it a loss. Always secure or remove valuables (phone, wallet, jewelry, etc.) before approaching the pit of one of these toilets,” said the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Basically, view everything in a pit toilet as a one-way transaction. Once installed, consider it banished from existence.
Falling into a ditch exposes the victim to high concentrations of urine, feces, and harmful bioaerosols. Microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses, can live in human waste for weeks, posing serious infection and disease risks.
Fortunately, the Californian man was unharmed and was able to walk away from the incident after the virus was removed. But that’s not always the case, and the experience feels overwhelming and traumatic.
We’ve all seen signs that say “please don’t flush the toilet. It’s too hard to flush.” But you know what else is hard to get out of a pit toilet? You. Just something to think about if your phone ever falls out of your pocket in the most unfortunate of places.