Luckily, there was nobody in the vehicle when it fell into the 200 square foot hole.
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by Andrew Gutman
5 hours ago
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by Andrew Gutman
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After the many incidents that have occurred with the natural phenomenon over the years, there’s no denying that sinkholes are serious business, and can wreak absolute havoc on cars. Case in point is this sinkhole in in Santa Paula, California, which swallowed up a Toyota RAV4 in one bite.
As reported by the Ventura County Star, the sinkhole was estimated to be around 200 square feet (18.6 square meters) in size when it opened up at around noon on Wednesday. Fortunately, no one was in the vehicle when it fell into the hole, and as such, there were no injuries.
The owner of the SUV, a teacher at a nearby school, had parked her vehicle there due to its proximity to the building. She had only owned the 2022 RAV4 since November of last year. “I couldn’t believe it,” she told the newspaper. “It’s so bizarre and surreal, because it’s not really something you think about happening in this area.”
Ventura County Fire Department / VCFD PIO@Twitter
To make matters worse, since the hole stopped at the partition between the street and the gutter, it appears two of the RAV4‘s wheels were still outside the hole when the road collapsed, likely what caused the SUV to topple in and land on its roof rather than just sink down. The vehicle was recovered later that evening, though its current state is unknown.
It’s believed the cause of the sinkhole was a heavy rainfall that caused a drainpipe to burst, eroding the ground to the point of collapse. Shortly after the incident, the fire department arrived on the scene to take care of any potential hazards, then the case was handed to the police department once the risk of further collapse was ruled out. After a geological examination of the site, it was reportedly determined that there was no danger to school property. Despite the all-clear from the geologist, the city’s public works department decided to run a camera through the pipes in the surrounding area to ensure other locations weren’t at risk of a similar incident.
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