A sinkhole opened up in the middle of a road in Castro Valley, California and claimed a first-generation Toyota Highlander.
Thankfully, no one was injured. As you can see, the sinkhole caused by a water main break only managed to swallow the Toyota’s right front wheel, leaving the vehicle in a precarious equilibrium but its cabin was intact. The Alameda County Fire Department arrived at the scene and tweeted that “the driver was able to safely exit with the help of firefighters.”
The firefighters also shared a video that shows the Highlander in limbo on the edge of the sinkhole with the right front wheel deep in the water and the rear left wheel up in the air. The SUV was later removed as the utility company moved to fix the water main break.
Castro Valley: Somerset Ave is closed between Santa Maria & Redwood Rd due to a water main break. One vehicle got stuck in the sinkhole & the driver was able to safely exit w/ the help of firefighters. Firefighters, @ebmud & @CHPcastrovalley remain on scene. pic.twitter.com/2BNx550CEu
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) February 13, 2019
Because of the sneaky sinkhole, authorities had to close the Somerset Avenue between Santa Maria and Redwood Road to prevent other cars from falling in. The water main break that formed the hole may have been caused by the storm that hit the Bay Area on Wednesday.
Funnily enough, the California Highway Patrol Castro Valley nicknamed the pit “Sammy the Sinkhole” in a Facebook post. “Say Hi to Sammy the Sinkhole! Sammy snuck into Castro Valley this morning via a 12″ water main break on Somerset Ave. Sammy got mad and tried to eat a car. Luckily Sammy only got a nibble and no one was hurt,” wrote the humorous police officers.