TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A sinkhole opened Friday around 1 a.m. in the 2200 block of Scottwood near Bancroft in the Old West End. The hole is about 6' wide and 8' long. It's about 4' deep.
Jared Steele discovered the hole when he tried to back his 1999 Ford F-250 into the driveway and a tire fell in. He does not live at the home but was visiting a friend. Steele said he was backing up and a section of the street gave way. He could not open the driver's side door so he crawled out the passenger side.
The sinkhole is also under a portion of the road that did not cave in. Therefore, if cars drive on the road, there is no support beneath the surface.
Kelly Debruyn is with the city's Sewer Department and said a 24-inch sanitary sewer line that runs from the houses out to the main sewer in the street collapsed and probably had been eroding for quite some time.
The truck has been removed. Steele does not know how much damage was done to the frame of his truck or what broke underneath and started leaking.
"I'm kind of worried about the frame because the truck is sitting on the frame right now. Luckily, it's just the truck that's damaged. That can be replaced. Obviously, passengers and drivers can't," said Steele.
Debruyn explained that sinkholes are common, but ones this size are rare.
"We have an aging infrastructure. This is going to happen, especially in the older parts of town like the Old West End. This is going to happen. We have no way of determining where or when," said Debruyn.
Debruyn said usually it is visible when a sinkhole is forming.
"You would look for a depression in the street. You would look for a depression in your driveway. That's the first indication that there's a problem," explained Debruyn.
Crews will begin making repairs next week.
If you suspect something is wrong at the bottom of your driveway, call City Hall immediately at 419-936-2020. They will send a crew out to investigate the problem.
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