Man dies after rescuing 7-year-old boy from pit

[May 26, 2009]  DETROIT (AP) -- A 58-year-old man has died after rescuing a 7-year-old boy who fell into a water-filled hole at a Detroit construction site.

Wayne State University police Sgt. Robert Barron said the boy was playing Sunday at a home under construction on Miracle Street when he fell into the foundation pit that was dug for the basement.

The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News reported the man was Garrett Townsend of Detroit. WDIV-TV says he managed to rescue the child, but wasn't able to get himself out of the water.

Emergency responders pulled him out and rushed him to a hospital, where he died.

[Associated Press]

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