Traffic camera shows moment 2 vehicles get caught in sinkhole at intersection

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - Two vehicles were caught in a sinkhole at an intersection in Omaha Tuesday afternoon.

University of Nebraska-Omaha Public Safety’s security cameras recorded the moment the two vehicles fell into the sinkhole.

“This caught everybody by surprise,” Omaha Police Lt. Dan Martin said.

In the video, a maroon Jeep SUV and a silver Dodge Ram pickup are seen stopping at a red light. As they wait, a sinkhole forms underneath, abruptly swallowing the two vehicles.

The two drivers were able to get out of their vehicles and out of the sinkhole by the time emergency crews arrived. Police said neither driver reported injuries.

A tow truck was called to retrieve the vehicles and pulled both out of the sinkhole by Tuesday evening.

Crews were seen Tuesday night removing concrete from the sinkhole.

Police have shut down the road and expect it to be closed for several days. Martin warned that it was possible the sinkhole could expand.

A Metropolitan Utilities Department employee also reported that a water main broke after the cars fell through.

Omaha City Engineer Austin Rowser, who also serves as the assistant public works director, said the cause of the sinkhole was likely an underground pressurized water leak.

“Ultimately, it comes down to erosion because all pavement, as you know, is not built to stand on its own; it has to have the support from the soil underneath it,” Rowser said.

Rowser also said citizens should not be concerned, as this is an isolated incident. He said he’s not aware of any gas lines nearby or sewer lines near the collapse.

“One of the very important things on the repair side of it is that we make sure we find the entire void. Subsurface water can act in various strange ways. You can see a void, but it could be connected by a small channel to another void,” he said.