Fire crews rescue 87-year-old man who fell 25 feet into abandoned well in Simi Valley

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- An 87-year-old man was rescued after falling 25 feet into an abandoned well in Simi Valley Monday afternoon.

Ventura County firefighters responded to the incident on Laguna Way around 1:30 p.m., according to the department. Firefighters used a ladder truck to keep the man from sinking deeper into the mud inside the well, securing him with ropes.

Ron Sparks, 87, suffered a broken ankle after he fell into the abandoned well in his front yard.

He was mowing the yard and noticed an indentation in the grass, stepped on it and fell, his daughter Merrilee Kaszacs said.

She said the family was unaware of the old well, and that her father was trapped in the hole for about half an hour, yelling for help before a passerby heard his screams.

"He said it was like a bad ride at Magic Mountain," Kaszacs said.

The mud at the bottom of the hole broke his fall, but he continued to sink.

He was pulled out of the well around 2:20 p.m. and placed on a stretcher.

Sparks was alert after suffering the injury and thanked first responders who helped him.