NYC Sinkhole Swallows SUV

A sports utility vehicle driving in Brooklyn collapsed into a large sinkhole after a water main break caused the street to give way early Monday, authorities said.

It's unclear whether the driver didn't see the hole or if the street collapsed below the car, reports WCBS-TV's Tanya Rivero. Officials said the entire intersection has been compromised by the break.

"It's unlikely that the only part of the roadway that was damaged was that car-shaped hole," said Ian Michaels, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. He added that water seeping from the 8-inch pipe could have been washing away dirt beneath the roadway for days.

Emergency contractors were going to break up the road to determine the extent of the damage, Michaels said.

The driver of the SUV, who was not seriously injured, exited the car on her own and later went to a local hospital to be treated for shock, said Fire Department spokesman Brian Conlon.

The vehicle, pitched headfirst with the rear poking out the 12-foot-wide hole, was resting on top of a gas main. Crews were waiting for the gas to be turned off before removing the SUV, said Michaels. It was unclear if the pipe had ruptured.

The water had been shut off in the early morning, so there was no flooding on the street, according to the department.

Service on the R subway line was suspended along Fourth Avenue between 36th and 95th streets.