Couple climbs out of SUV as it fills with water after driving into Washington sinkhole
.png "A couple drove into a 4-foot deep sinkhole that formed in a roadway Jan. 20 in Vancouver, Washington, after a water main line broke, officials said. They had to crawl out of their SUV.")
A couple crawled out of their SUV’s windows after it was nearly swallowed in a 4-foot deep sinkhole in Washington, officials and multiple news outlets reported.
“It felt like the movies, like being in a movie,” Katlynn Bicknell told KPTV.
The two were driving around 1:15 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, when they hit a sinkhole, police and the City of Vancouver Department of Public Works spokesperson Nicole Walters told McClatchy News by email.
The SUV’s front end dipped into the water-filled sinkhole that was 4 feet deep, 12 feet long and 10 feet wide, Walters said.
Couple escapes from SUV
Bicknell told KPTV driving into the hole felt like “being on a roller coaster when you go down the big dip.”
As the vehicle filled with water, Bicknell and her boyfriend had to crawl out through the windows, KGW reported.
“I’m never going to drive through a puddle again,” Bicknell told KGW.
Vancouver police initially responded to the area, then Vancouver Public Works arrived to block off the road, police said.
The sinkhole formed when an 8-inch water main line broke, Walters said.
Workers fixed the broken main line by 9 a.m., and the sinkhole was filled with gravel, Walters said. The sinkhole area will then be covered with asphalt.
“Sinkholes are possible, but not common,” she said.
When a water main line breaks, it releases “a high volume of water with the potential of displacing material and causing roadway surface to fail, thus creating a sinkhole,” Walters said.
Officials advise people to avoid driving through large puddles.
Vancouver is about 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon.
This story was originally published January 22, 2024 at 10:33 AM.
