A New York woman feared for her life on her 47th birthday when she plunged 8 feet into a sinkhole in her backyard.

Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A New York woman feared for her life on her 47th birthday when she plunged 8 feet into a sinkhole in her backyard.

Danielle Tammone said she was in her Bohemia backyard in Long Island on Thursday when the ground suddenly gave way beneath her.

"It was weird. It happened so fast. And then I was just down, down in an 8-foot hole with water and sod," Tammone told News12 Long Island.

Tammone said she struggled to climb out, but the stone around her in the apparent old wall was crumbling.

"It's my birthday. This might be my death date," Tammone told CBS New York. "I couldn't breathe well, because I was gasping, and scared and crying."

Tammone's cries were heard by two neighbors.

"At first, we thought she was in the shed or something. We were not looking on the ground," said Christine Chanowsky, one of the women who found Tammone.

The women captured video of the moment they located Tammone and called 911.

Emergency responders lowered a ladder into the hole to help Tammone climb out.

"And they all sang happy birthday to me. It was great," Tammone said.

Tammone said she is now recovering from minor injuries including whiplash and pulled muscles.

"Thank God I didn't land on stone. It was just sod and water, but still scary," she said.