There are many bad things that can trigger anxiety behind the wheel, such as bad traffic, dangerous weather, the fear of other cars crashing into you, the fear of losing control, and much more. However, to many drivers, these things are nothing compared to falling into a sinkhole.
Getting swallowed up by a sinkhole is the stuff of nightmares and among the scariest things that can happen while you’re driving, and two drivers from Omaha, Nebraska experienced that first-hand on Tuesday afternoon.
One Minute You’re Waiting at a Stoplight, Next Minute the Pavement Disappears
While waiting side by side at the stoplights at a busy intersection in the south-central part of the city, the driver of an SUV and the driver of a Ram pickup truck felt the pavement suddenly giving way and sucking their vehicles into the ground.
A surveillance camera captured the dramatic moment when the SUV and pickup got swallowed up into a hole several feet deep. Thankfully, neither driver was injured, local police said. The video shows how the driver of the truck was able to get out of the sinkhole on his own through the front passenger door, before joining bystanders in helping the SUV driver out of the hole.
“We are grateful to them for jumping into action and quickly providing help,” said Omaha police spokeswoman Officer Sarah Martier in a statement obtained by AP News. According to Omaha Public Works’ website, the sinkhole was formed after a water main broke.
The footage also shows how the cars that were waiting behind the sinkhole started backing up after a few seconds, possibly fearing that the sinkhole might expand and swallow up their vehicles too. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
It’s worth noting that things could have been much worse had the sinkhole opened up as vehicles were driving in the area, which is a very busy one; the fact that the truck and the SUV got swallowed up by the sinkhole while stationary was actually a blessing in disguise. The drivers escaped unharmed and their vehicles likely got some minor dents and scratches.
It Could Have Been Worse—Remember the National Corvette Museum Sinkhole?
National Corvette Museum
As scary as this incident looks, we’ve seen far worse sinkhole incidents over the years. Probably the first that springs to mind is the one that devastated the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2014.
That was a natural disaster caused by the sudden collapse of an underground limestone cave roof, which formed a hole roughly 40 feet wide and 30 feet deep—much bigger than the one in Omaha.
Thankfully, the museum sinkhole formed early in the morning before opening hours and no one was in the building at the time. However, eight Corvettes were damaged, including rare models like the 1 millionth Corvette and a 2009 ZR1 ‘Blue Devil.’ Fortunately, both were restored along with other Corvettes, while some were kept in their damaged state for display purposes.
