Police in Georgia had to shut down a roadway after a sinkhole appeared to swallow a vehicle, according to reports.
Images from the Athens-Clarke County Police show a white automobile teetering on both the front and rear bumpers over what looked like a California fault line in a Hollywood movie, before collapsing entirely down the crack and beneath the road.
Georgia roadway fissure opens up, swallows entire car, photos show https://t.co/muVtSCSAGF
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 6, 2023
“We are in emergency planning mode right we will have plans in place and contracts as soon as possible to get this repaired,” said Wayne Mead of Athens Clarke County Public Works. “As far as the car it won’t be removed until its stabilized and safe to work.”
WAGA reported that the incident occurred on Olympic Drive, between Hancock Industrial Boulevard and Athena Drive.
Police said the road started to deteriorate after a black automobile drove over a spot close to a tiny brook that empties into Trail Creek. As a white automobile traveling down the same road neared the problematic area, it was unable to halt in time and became wedged between the crack’s two opposite sides.
“Last night we had a lot of heavy rain. It came down in a very short period of time and that gush of rain caused that culvert here in front of us to fail,” said Mead.
The local news outlet said that the driver was able to exit the car unharmed, though authorities were unsure how. The car eventually fell into the pit as the gap in the road widened further.
“It’s still actively failing,” said Mead. “This will get bigger as the day and night goes on.”
There were two road fissures in Clarke County as a result of floods brought on by rain. The Athens region received an average of 4.76 inches of rain, according to the WAGA weather team.
“If there were any closed roads, it’s definitely not surprising at all,” said National Weather Service lead forecaster Kyle Thiem. “This a pretty significant event and that’s over 24 hours.”
To prevent other vehicles from plowing into the hole, workers installed concrete rail barriers along the route. On Wednesday, water also washed away a portion of Charlie Bolton Road between Lem Edwards and Athena Drive.
