Survivor of fall into Cooper Point well says he ‘disappeared like a magic trick’

It’s been two weeks since Sam Pfeiffer dropped out of sight into an old well on a piece of property on Cooper Point on Olympia’s west side. He still has aches and pains, and plenty of bad memories.

“I’m doing OK, compared to what it was like going down that damn well,” Pfeiffer said this week.

Pfeiffer, 36, and his brother, Michael, 46, were looking on Oct. 14 at property for sale near Cooper Point Road Northwest and 28th Avenue Northwest. The real estate agent told them to go ahead and explore the acreage.

Pfeiffer said the agent told them beforehand that a fallen-down house was on the property and to “be careful of the garbage.”

Pfeiffer said he and his brother split up, looking for property markers.

“I was walking back toward him, and he said ‘Did you find them?’ I said no, and that’s when I fell.

“He thought I fell off a cliff. I just disappeared like a magic trick.”

According to firefighters who responded, the well was about 3 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep, with water and debris in it.

“I’m glad there was water or I would have been hurt worse,” Pfeiffer said. He said there were old boards with nails in them floating.

And a dead rat.

“In front of me was a rat; it stunk so bad. I tried not to move the water too much, I didn’t know what else was in there,” he said.

At one point his brother said, “Hey, you have a toad on your shoulder!”

“I looked over, there was a giant frog. It scared me and I smacked it!” Pfeiffer said.

A friend who was with them had called 911 and the first responders tried to drop a rope with a loop for Pfeiffer to step into.

“By then, I was too cold,” Pfeiffer said. “I told them I couldn’t hold on.”

More units arrived and the Thurston County Special Operations Team spent about 25 minutes hauling Pfeiffer out of the well.

“It’s a good thing his buddy was with him, because he would have died,” J.D. Young, battalion chief for the Olympia Fire District, said at the time. “There’s no way he could have gotten out.”

“They took my clothes off, wrapped me in blankets. I was so happy,” Pfeiffer said. In the ambulance, a warming unit blew hot air on him.

“I never saw so many people that showed up to help out. Made me feel like I was important,” Pfeiffer said.

He was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He hit his head, back, shoulder and hip, and still has pain that interrupts his sleep.

First responders found a concrete lid that had been removed from the well long enough for debris to cover it and for plants to start growing. They dragged it back over the well, Pfeiffer said.

“My main concern is why is there no cover, no rope, no caution sign?” he said.

Pfeiffer said he might seek counseling. It’s not the first time he’s had a water rescue. In 2003, he was driving equipment on a job and went into a pond and inhaled water. This time he said he feared for his life.

“I was afraid they weren’t going to get me in time. I can’t believe how cold it was — like a freezer.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Survivor of fall into Cooper Point well says he ‘disappeared like a magic trick’."