Man Claims To Get Stuck In 3-Foot Hole In Sidewalk
HOMEWOOD (KDKA) – The 400-block of North Braddock Avenue gets quite a bit of foot traffic.
But on Saturday, a 22-year-old unidentified man walking along the same stretch of road ended up going down.
He ended up going into a hole, although the police describe it as a gap in the sidewalk, which is about 3 feet deep and about 3 to 5 feet wide.
The man told police he got stuck in the hole because it was uncovered and unmarked.
"We just heard sirens and the next thing we know they were pulling the guy up from out of the hole over there," said Asa Ponton who witnessed the incident.
Police say fire, EMS and rescue trucks responded to the man who was lifted out and transported to UPMC in stable condition. He was conscious and alert. The victim told police the only marking was an orange pallet which was off to the side of the hole.
The owner of the building actually showed up while KDKA was at the scene and said he checked on the hole Saturday afternoon, just hours before the incident allegedly happened. He also said the hole was covered and his own protective tape was in place before he left on Saturday.
In fact, the owner didn't know anything about anyone falling in the hole until we told him. He acknowledged he dug the hole to replace a valve to get the water turned on. He's planning on opening a car was there. He wondered if someone else may have moved the coverings or made up the story for financial gain. Even people who were nearby weren't sure about the story.
"I thought it was a joke," said Ponton. "I thought it was a joke, that someone had pranked us for something."
At the time of the incident, police said they didn't know who dug the hole, but were investigating. The building owner says so far, he hasn't heard from anyone.
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