Girl Dies Days After Being Swept Down Storm Drain: Family

SARASOTA, FL — A girl swept into a Sarasota storm drain after a water main break on Sunday evening died days after the incident, a friend of the family shared in a GoFundMe update.

“It is with a broken heart I have to share that Zaria [Miller] has received the ultimate healing, and is in the arms of Jesus,” the update reads. "The family is grateful for all the love and support shown over the past few days.”

Nearly $97,000 has been raised through the platform to support the family as of Friday morning.

Money raised will cover the family’s medical, funeral and monthly bills for the next month. Anything extra will be donated to pediatric charities, the post said.

Zaria was playing near a culvert on Bahia Vista Street when a water main break happened and she was pulled into the drainage system by the water around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The child was found about 100 yards west on Bahia Vista Street after being carried through the drain.

The girl was found in a wooded retention area across the street from Sarasota Christian School, the Tampa Bay Times said. She was then taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and later moved to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

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Sarasota County Fire Department Assistant Chief Tim Dorsey told WWSB the rescue was rare, but dangerous. “There’s a tremendous amount of risk and danger.”

Rescuers “started resuscitative efforts and transported the child to a local hospital,” he said. She was in critical condition at All Children’s Hospital for several days.

One neighbor told WWSB the community supports the family, and they are hoping for the best.

“I can’t fathom what they are going through right now," the resident said. "We are really praying, just really devastated for the family, but really praying for a miracle.”

Neighbor Tom McGee, whose doorbell camera recorded the emergency response, told FOX Tampa, "It was very scary. We didn’t know whose child it was. I just wish them the best and I hope she makes a full recovery."

The incident temporarily closed eastbound and westbound traffic between Honore Avenue and Arcadia Avenue.

The force of the water damaged the road, including leaving behind a large hole where the water main break happened, reports said.