Sinkhole swallows a car after heavy rain in Denver, Colorado
Image credit: Tye Adams
A large sinkhole opened up on Oxford Avenue in Sheridan, suburban Denver, Colorado on July 24, 2018, swallowing a car. The driver managed to get out before the car fell into a 5 m (15 feet) deep hole. This is the same patch of road that swallowed a police car in 2015.
According to the Sheridan Police Department, heavy rain affected a pipe below the pavement where the road collapsed. The hole is about 8 m (25 feet) wide and more than 5 m (15 feet) deep.
The city of Englewood said that the city's contractor, American Civil Constructors, is working to determine what caused the pipes underneath the road the fail.
"We do know that the storm on July 24 can be characterized as a 100-year event. During the storm, an estimated 63.5 mm (2.5 inches) of rain fell in 30 minutes, which caused the pipe to pressurize at over 25 psi. The pipe was not designed for this pressure," city spokesperson Alison Carney said.
The car has been removed from the sinkhole. One lane is open westbound Oxford Avenue from Santa Fe Drive to Federal Blvd.
Eastbound is still closed. All businesses in the area are open. pic.twitter.com/uUljg7sRYk— Sheridan Police Dept (@Police_spd) July 25, 2018
Sink hole eastbound Oxford Ave. east of Natches Ct. Oxford closed eastbound at Natches Ct. Alternate routes advised. There is a car in there! Driver is okay. pic.twitter.com/5X4WIdm3Ge
— Sheridan Police Dept (@Police_spd) July 25, 2018
This is the same patch of road where a police SUV was swallowed by a sinkhole on June 5, 2015.
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.