Rescue workers helped free a woman who became stuck in mud Thursday on the side of Litman Road in Butler Township.

BUTLER TWP — An embarrassed resident of the Green Acres apartment complex found herself in a sticky situation late Thursday morning.

The unidentified woman became stuck in hip-deep mud while walking along the north side of Litman Road opposite the apartment complex entrance.

Butler County 911 dispatchers said the woman was stuck in a sinkhole, but the area appeared to be a large expanse of very wet mud.

A Herman couple, who did not want to be named, passed the scene and saw a man who they said is from Utah trying to help the middle-aged woman out of her mucky predicament.

The couple stopped to lend a hand, and the Utah man also became entrapped in the quagmire. He was able to free himself with the help of the couple.

When the trio realized they would be unable to free the woman, they called 911 for assistance.

Firefighters from Butler Township Fire District Station 3 placed a ladder across the mud and a firefighter manually freed the woman's legs as she clung to the ladder.

Once her legs were freed, she crawled across the ladder the short distance to the road surface and sat down to rest.

After a few moments, the uninjured victim of the wet winter snow and spring rains headed for her apartment in muddy jeans and without shoes, which were apparently lost in the depths of the mire.

Township police and Butler Ambulance Service also responded to the scene, where Litman Road was reduced to one lane just before noon as the rescue unfolded.

Tom Knights, township superintendent of public works, said Thursday afternoon that it appears standing water that might have been lying in the extended flat area all winter produced the situation.

“It made the ground completely saturated, real soft, and that's what she stepped into,” Knights said.

He said cones have been placed in the area so no other pedestrians find themselves in the same situation.

Township workers will redefine the ditch line at the muddy area to speed the exit of standing water, Knights said. The nearest drainpipe is about 50 feet away, he said.

Knights does not think any other areas of the township could produce a similar situation.

“There's a steep hill along Litman Road there and I'm not aware of any other flat, wide berms that water lays beside,” he said.

Knights said he is thankful the woman was uninjured in the incident.