AKRON, Ohio — Crews are working to repair a section of North Howard Street after a water main break caused a sinkhole in the middle of the road.
According to the City of Akron, the sinkhole is in the 1100 block of North Howard. Akron firefighters responded to the area around 9:41 p.m. on Friday after one vehicle bounced in and out of it and a second vehicle became stuck.
Driving the second vehicle was a 76-year-old grandmother, Janet Copeland, heading home just a quarter of a mile from her driveway. Copeland was on her way home from visiting her 99-year-old mother when the ground began to break apart.
"All of a sudden, it just went in. I mean, there was no warning, nothing, it just went in," Copeland said. "I don't know how you describe it—it just scared the hell out of me, basically.
Copeland wasn't able to get out of the hole on her own, but within minutes, a man in the neighborhood pulled her out of the car and the hole.
"He leaned over me... Im sitting here, and he just leaned over me, took both my hands, just pulled me up like it was nothing," Copeland said.
Her grandson, Shannon Johnson, raced to the scene after hearing what happened.
"I'm just happy that she's okay, she's safe. It could have been a lot worse, especially at her age," he said.
A 4-year-old child who was in another car that also hit the sinkhole was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. As for Copeland, she has bruising and soreness from the incident.
The city said an 8-inch cast-iron water main pipe installed in 1917 broke, causing the sinkhole to form.
Crews worked over the weekend to repair the damage; North Howard is expected to be closed from Luka and Creston avenues until Tuesday.
"There is extensive undermining of this roadway in and around the collapse. After the repairs have been completed, we’ll make a determination on how to rebuild the road and how much of the pavement will have to be replaced," the city said.
Copeland and her grandson believe the city should pay for the damage to her totaled vehicle.
"As of right now my grandmother doesn't have a vehicle to drive back and forth to anywhere. She's housebound," Johnson said
The city said the situation will be reviewed by the law department.
"I do believe they should do something about these streets. I mean, they really are bad," Copeland said.
