Sinkhole Swallows 3 Cars On Chicago's South Side, 1 Person Injured

Massive Sinkhole Swallows 3 Cars, Injures 1 Person In Chicago

Updated story

A massive sinkhole on Chicago's South Side swallowed up three cars and injured one person following a night of heavy storms and rainfall around the area.

Around 5:15 a.m., the sinkhole at 96th and Houston in the city's Jeffrey Manor neighborhood opened up and two cars fell inside, according to ABC Chicago. Shortly after the fire department arrived on the scene, a third car slid into the sinkhole, which spanned both lanes of traffic at that point.

WGN's Nancy Loo tweeted a series of photos of the harrowing scene:

WGN reports that one person was taken from the hole in serious-to-critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

According to DNAinfo Chicago, neighbors and television news trucks gathered to take photos and video of the baffling scene.

"When [the water main] broke, it breached the sewer below it," Powers said. "As it undermined, as the water was flowing from the broken main, it undermined all of the soil underneath the pavement and washed it into the sewer."

Three to five inches of rain fell overnight in the Chicago area, causing additional problems with flooding, road closures, school closures and public transportation delays on the Metra train system.

Before You Go

Gigantic Sinkholes

Gigantic Sinkholes

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot