Driver, 2 Firefighters Seriously Injured After Vehicles Fall Into Sinkhole
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- One driver and two firefighters suffered serious injuries after driving into a sinkhole in El Paso County overnight.
Investigators believe one person drove over a culvert on Old Pueblo Road and the road collapsed. That driver took off, leaving the car in the sink hole.
A second driver came along in the dark and plunged into the hole near Birdsall Road. That's near the Pikes Peak International Raceway.
When a crew from the Hanover Fire Protection District were called to help, they didn't see the hole until it was too late.
Both firefighters were hospitalized -- and one had to have surgery Tuesday morning, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
"You've got a low point in the roadway that appears to just have some water in it but when you get there all the sudden you fall into an eight feet deep hole that you didn't even know was there," said Sgt. Steve Krebs with the Colorado State Patrol.
More crews came to help free the driver. They managed to get him out eventually. The driver was airlifted to a hospital.
Thankfully, the driver and the firefighters are expected to recover from their injuries.
The cars were completely destroyed -- and wet from all the water rushing through.
Road crews were assessing the damage. The road could remain closed for a week.
The Colorado State Patrol is looking for the driver who left the scene.