A car carrying four passengers was swallowed by a sinkhole in Evansville in southern Indiana on Friday 30 May 2014. Timothy Stone, his girlfriend and their two children had stopped at a junction when they felt the car beginning to sink. All four were able to escape the care safely, but the front of the car was swallowed by a sinkhole that opened up to 3.5 m wide and 5 m deep, and had to be rescued by a pair of towing trucks.
The vehicle trapped in the Evansville sinkhole on 30 May 2014. Kevin Swank/The Evansville Courier & Press.
Sinkhole are typically caused by the erosion of soft sediments or limestone beneath the surface, creating voids that can open up unexpectedly. On this occasion the hole appears to have been triggered by the collapse of a sewer main, which lead to the washing away sediments beneath the road, and triggering the collapse of a water main, leading to further water loss and further erosion, eventually causing the overlying road to collapse.
The approximate location of the 30 May 2014 Evansville sinkhole. Google Maps.
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