AKRON, Ohio — An Akron woman is sharing her terrifying experience after a sinkhole swallowed her car, hoping her story will serve as a warning to others.
Felicia Stinson was driving along Spicer Street in Akron on the evening of Sept. 1 when she came upon what looked like a large puddle. As she got closer, her car started sliding into a huge hole.
Stinson tried to put the vehicle in reverse, but the car would not move and she began to panic.
"I said, "Oh my goodness, oh my God, oh my God, what's going on? What's going on?" she said. "I had my window rolled down on my side and the the guy across the street said, 'Ma'am, ma'am. I'm afraid you're in a big, old pothole.'"
A neighbor rushed over to help her get out of the partially submerged car and escorted her to safety. Her family members then arrived to help collect her belongings and drove her home safely.
A towing company eventually arrived at the scene and crews worked to pull the car out of the sinkhole. Water poured out of the vehicle as it was lifted from the crater.
Stinson said a neighbor told her they had already called authorities about the water main break before her car drove into the sinkhole, but no crews had arrived yet to put up barriers. There was nothing in place to divert traffic away from the scene.
"I'm seeing other people before me went down that way, and then I'm seeing cars coming back that way, coming this way towards me," she said. "I would have never thought it was going to happen to me. I thank God I'm OK. I'm safe. I'm real sore, but I'm making it. I'm pushing. I'm pushing through this pain,"
The total extent of the damage to Stinson's car is still unclear.
Akron officials say the city is on pace for a record year for water main breaks, blaming the problem on an aging pipe distribution system.
"I just want everybody to know for the people in the city of Akron, please be careful," Stinson said. "Don't let what happened to me happen to anyone else."
