Yikes! Car Swallowed By Sinkhole in New York State
It's not often a motorist has to be rescued from a hole in the middle of the street. But that's exactly what happened early Wednesday morning after a water main break caused a sinkhole to form in the middle of the road. The break has reportedly affected a number of nearby homes, causing flooding to both the basement and garages. Imagine being in your vehicle one minute, and then a huge hole opens up beneath you and you're suddenly below ground?
WNYT says that firefighters in Schenectady rescued the motorist from the sinkhole after calls came in early Wednesday. While the man was not reportedly injured, this was sure to rattle some nerves. However, the further good news is that an assistant fire chief told WNYT that significant progress had been made fixing the water break.
Sinkholes were never too common across our state until recent years, as more intense rainstorms and aging infrastructure has washed away softer rocks and other materials which can cause the earth to cave in. But there are also the "man-made" sinkholes that happen in larger urban areas, often by water main breaks. Most of these occurrences have happened in and around New York City, though experts say they can happen anywhere, including in your own backyard. Trees, utility poles, and even vehicles have been taken from below.
The largest sinkholes though are still mainly found in the south, in states like Florida and Texas.
But then there was this poor guy in New York City back in late 2020. NBC says the incident happened when the man was waiting for a bus on 3rd Avenue in the Bronx. There is surveillance footage above from CBS, that shows the helpless man suddenly falling, as the sidewalk below him gives way. It is not exactly certain how far he fell, though some estimate he went down between 12 to 15 feet.
But it's what's lurking below New York City underground that has this poor man so freaked out. The man was reportedly covered in rats. Nightmare fuel. Luckily, the man survived. NBC says that police and firefighters were able to pull him out after half an hour. The man was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries.