Toddler dies after falling into septic tank; family cautions others
SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico couple has to bury their 3-year-old son after a tragic accident.
The boy fell into a septic tank and died.
The couple says they never thought something like this could happen to their child, and they want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else’s.
A week ago Cassandra Riaski and her family went over to her parents’ house near Farmington to plan a funeral for her mother.
“My sister, myself and our children went over to my parents’ house to do some funeral handouts,” Riaski said.
As the adults took care of business, the kids went to play in their grandparents’ backyard like they always do.
“The kids were just outside being kids, being mean to each other and fighting with each other,” she said. “And then, not too long after that, is when everything happened.”
Riaski says her niece came inside because 3-year-old Ryder was playing in the mud. Minutes later, she went out to get him but couldn’t find him.
“I just kept yelling for him and telling him to come out, and it’s not funny, and I need to know where he was. Then my sister yelled at me that he was down there.”
The toddler had fallen into the septic tank and died. Officials believe Ryder may have been jumping on the septic tank lid when he fell through.
24-Hour News 8’s sister station KRQE spoke with a pumping service to find out what people need to do to make sure this doesn’t happen to them.
“The best thing I could say is educate yourselves and your children. Know where the septic tank is and know if the lids are secure,” explained Brandon Hebert, owner of Demaree’s pumping service, LLC.
“Make sure they’re secure, and check on them monthly. It’s like a filter in your HVAC system,” Herbert said.
The Riaski family says they want to work with the state to make stricter rules for how septic tanks are accessed and where they are located.