Road closed signs are often in place due to potential hazards like flood water, road maintenance taking place, or in this case, a gigantic hole. Despite very clear signage, at least three different people ignored the warning and suffered the consequences.
The California Highway Patrol recently shared a post on social media noting that “Road Closed” signs are not recommendations. The road in question is Kasson Road between Durham Ferry Road and the entrance to the San Joaquin River Club in Tracy, California. And in the photo accompanying the post, we see what looks like a Honda CR-V half-sunken beneath a substantial amount of water.
The next day, CHP posted again, this time showing that the road had completely collapsed and a large chasm had developed. “DO NOT attempt to drive around the barricades,” it said. For those who might not have seen the post, the CHP added barriers and signs to the road. That didn’t stop a Volkswagen Passat driver from ending up in the hole on January 26th.
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Somewhat hilariously, CHP began their report of the incident with “THIS CAN’T BE REAL! We’re at a loss for words. If only there were signs and/or barriers that could have prevented this…” Of course, in addition to showing off the wrecked VW, they also showed off all of the signage again. Still, this sinkhole wasn’t done swallowing up egos and automobiles alike.
Just two days later on the 28th, a white Ford F-150 driver ignored the signs, drove around the barriers, and then straight into the sinkhole. No amount of four-wheel drive is going to be able to get them out of this one. In fact, it looks as though the hood sheered clean off of the truck as they made contact with the far side of the hole.
CHP didn’t take kindly to the accident either. Not only did they issue a citation to the driver but they roasted them on Facebook too. “It happened again. We can’t make this stuff up. This was 100 percent preventable. There is no excuse. The signs are clear, visible, and unobstructed,” it said. The object lesson here is clear: when the sign says road closed, there’s a very good reason for that.
