Navigating downtown traffic is stressful enough without having to worry about the pavement literally crumbling beneath your tires. Unfortunately for one Ohio driver, this is exactly what happened when a massive sinkhole completely devoured his vehicle.
The incident happened early Sunday morning in the heart of downtown Cleveland. According to a live report from 19 News, a massive rupture occurred beneath the asphalt at the intersection of West 3rd and St. Clair Avenue, right behind the Justice Center.
The culprit was burst underground steam pipe. Cleveland’s downtown infrastructure utilizes a network of subterranean pipes to deliver steam to various buildings for heating and production. When this particular pipe failed, the resulting pressure and moisture caused the street above to buckle and collapse, creating a dangerous hole.
A Slow-Motion Disaster Caught on Camera
Surveillance footage released by the city shows the sinkhole forming in real-time. The video captures thick plumes of steam billowing out of the asphalt, partially obscuring the intersection. Over the next few minutes, the small hole steadily widens as chunks of pavement plummet into the void.
As the sinkhole expands, oblivious drivers can be seen navigating the intersection, with a sheriff’s deputy and a bus both narrowly avoiding the growing hazard. At one point, a pedestrian walks right past the massive hole, pauses to take a picture on his phone, and continues on his way.
Then, disaster strikes. A driver approaching the intersection through the thick steam fails to spot the massive crater in time. The footage shows the car slowly rolling directly into the sinkhole, its front half plunging down into the steaming abyss.
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A Lucky Escape and a Major Cleanup
Miraculously, the driver managed to escape the terrifying ordeal unscathed. The footage shows the man attempting to back the car out of the hole to no avail before safely exiting the vehicle and walking around to the passenger side.
“The fact that he was approaching slowly and then just kind of went in is probably a good thing, because that hole is big enough that it could have swallowed up really his entire car,” noted 19 News reporter Dan DeRoos while reviewing the security footage.
Following the crash, emergency crews rushed to the scene. First responders were able to safely extract the trapped vehicle, but the aftermath of the sinkhole has left a massive headache for the city. Cleveland Water crews are currently working around the clock to repair the broken pipes and replace the crumbling pavement, forcing the closure of water service to nearby buildings and the continued shutdown of the intersection.
While the city has not yet provided a timeline for when the sinkhole will be fully repaired, officials are urging drivers to avoid the area.
