TOOELE, Utah — It was a rare and strange accident Tuesday in Tooele: a sinkhole that partially swallowed a car.
But thankfully, everyone involved, including the teenage driver and her friends, is OK.
16-year-old Ellie Jaramillo said she and her friends were on their way to a McDonald’s drive-through when her car fell into the sinkhole.
“It was very sudden! We were just driving over and we hit the specific spot and the entire car just kind of fell," she ssaid.
Tooele City officials said a 16-inch water line broke underneath the street around 2:30 p.m., causing the sinkhole to form near 700 South and Coleman Street.
Jaramillo said they were all trying to enjoy every last minute of summer break before school starts Wednesday. So, they decided to go get something to eat, and that’s when Jaramillo's car was partially swallowed by the sinkhole.
It all happened right in front of Dan Richardson‘s house.
“My truck was lifted up, the road had bubbled up, and my truck was leaning sideways," he said.
Richardson said he heard the commotion but was in a work meeting and didn’t immediately look outside. But when police knocked on his door, Richardson went outside, saw his truck, then said he saw the five girls trying to get out of Jaramillo’s car.
“They just piled out of the side of the car," he said. "It was pointing up — the car was sideways... They were pretty upset. Took a minute for them to calm down.”
Jaramillo said there were a few tense moments.
“There were some people that were definitely freaking out, but I think all of us just kind of wanted to get out of the car," she said.
She said it’s a day they will likely never forget.
“They were a little shaken up. I feel like everyone was just kind of confused on how all this happened because it definitely doesn’t happen very often," Jaramillo said.
The damage impacted water service for about 10-15 houses. A crew from the city's public works department spent the rest of Tuesday repairing the water main pipe, then turned the water back on. The last step will be repairing the pavement.
