Another Day, Another Sinkhole Opens Up in Brooklyn
Remember the sinkhole that ripped open an entire intersection in Sunset Park last summer? Well, it turns out that the giant Brooklyn chasm from last month has a new buddy, as another gaping hole nearly swallowed the back end of a massive garbage truck in Flatbush this morning. According to ABC 7, the truck began slowly sinking at around 3am Tuesday morning at it sat idle in a parking lot, allowing the driver to escape the vacuous fissure that gobbled up the entire back section of his truck.
ABC 7 reports that the parking lot has since been closed for evaluation and that a nearby Long Island Railroad freight line has been closed for safety precautions. ABC news reporter Kala Rama was there this morning, and snapped this sad photo of the earth devouring the garbage truck.
Smells ripe, the sun will only make it worse. Garbage truck stuck in sink hole on #Brooklyn parking deck. #abc7nypic.twitter.com/Rea0IWPsjj
— Kala Rama (@KalaRamaTV) September 15, 2015
As we’ve noted before, while sinkholes aren’t an everyday fact of life, they are a highly possible occurrence, especially when neglected infrastructure is subject to heavy rainfall. One time, a sinkhole bordering the size of an asteroid crater opened in Williamsburg, giving residents more than a little apprehension when they looked into the ruthless cavity that destroyed much of the cement and buildings within its 6 by 4 foot radius.
More recently, a Brooklyn Magazine reader pointed out an ominous hole outside his Bushwick apartment, saying that after it opened, the city it filled back up with gravel and cement in what was a quick, thoughtless fix. “It’s right on the corner, and I’m just waiting for it to swallow the SUV that parks right next to it,” he wrote.
Even so, it’s worth noting that the garbage truck in Flatbush is a really huge, heavy vehicle and that this particular parking lot wasn’t meant to withstand too much weight; ABC also reported that the truck driver must have either ignored or failed to notice a parking lot sign warning larger trucks not to enter the premises, so we suppose that might be the true cause of the issue.
Either way, it’s going to take a lot of time and energy to haul that truck back from out of the ground.
Follow Sam Blum on Twitter @Blumnessmonster