SCREENSHOT FROM KSDK'S REPORT
Well that's a shame.
St. Louis, which admittedly ranks high on a lot of lists, is not particularly known for having well-maintained roads and thoroughfares.
That's a part of city living that local residents (and their cars' suspensions) have grown accustomed to dealing with. Many of us have little mental road maps in our heads to remind us of the exact locations of the various potholes and other obstacles we frequently encounter as we drive about town.
But sometimes, the streets of St. Louis throw a curveball.
Such was the case early this morning, when an entire truck was swallowed up by a massive hole in Lindell Boulevard at Union Drive. KSDK reports that a call for help came in around 5 a.m. after a man drove past some barricades and signs warning of the enormous crater, reported to be about 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide, and wound up driving straight into the hole.
According to the local station, the truck smashed its front end into a pipe, and only its back end could be seen sticking out. Both the driver and a passenger were uninjured. The truck was later removed from the hole by a crew of workers on the scene.
The city's new hellmouth is the result of a water main break which tore the street asunder on Tuesday afternoon. It's the same exact location where a similar water main break ripped a similar hole in the earth about a year ago.
At that time, RFT spoke with Water Distribution Superintendent Vincent Foggie, who told us that, while its not the first time he'd seen a break of that size in his long career, such incidents are rare. (Note to St. Louis drivers: It would seem that it is becoming less rare in this particular part of town.) In that case, it ultimately took workers about two weeks to fix the main and repair the road.
According to KMOV, the driver was distracted by his GPS at the time he drove past the barriers, and he was unaware that the sinkhole was there.
It just goes to show: GPS is convenient, but it's no match for a little knowledge of your neighborhood. Big hole on Lindell for the next two weeks — update those mental maps accordingly.
