WINNIPEG – A large sinkhole that opened up on Sutherland Avenue tried to swallow a car on Monday morning.
Norman Garcia of Mr. Peg Property Inspections said he passed a city truck stopped in his lane on Sutherland Avenue, pulled back into his lane and drove into the water-filled hole.
The truck, with lights flashing, was apparently supposed to signal the hazard, Garcia said, but he didn’t understand the road wasn’t safe to travel. There was only one A-frame piece of a barricade lying in the hole, he said – it can be seen under his car in a photo of the mishap.
The city has closed Sutherland Avenue between Charles and Jarvis streets while repairs are done.
A city spokeswoman said a water main break was reported on Sutherland at 3:30 a.m. and crews had controlled the leak and put up a barricade within two hours. Crews are working to repair the water main Monday, but a high-voltage power line near it means the work must be co-ordinated with underground utilities, so the timeline is subject to change, she said.
There is no timeline for road repairs yet.
Garcia said there was no barricade at the sinkhole when he got stuck at about 7:35 a.m., just the truck parked 15 to 20 metres from it and a partially submerged A-frame from a barricade lying horizontally in the hole.
“There’s no barricade.”
A crew arrived and put up barricades at about 8 a.m., he said.
His car wasn’t badly damaged but Garcia had to call a tow truck to get it removed and its carpet is a stinking mess from the two inches of water that got into the vehicle, he said. He plans to call 311 about it after work.
The hole continued to widen and had multiple barricades around it by 11:30 a.m.
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