Giant sinkhole in California swallows vehicle after driver ignores warning signs

A truck crashed into a massive sinkhole iin California on Tuesday after officials said the driver ignored road closure signs, the third such incident in two weeks.

Shocking photos showed the ill-fated white pickup truck firmly lodged several feet underground in the sinkhole on Kasson Road in Tracy.

“We can’t make this stuff up,” the CHP wrote on Facebook alongside the images. “This was 100 percent preventable. There is no excuse. The signs are clear, visible, and unobstructed.”

The driver, who escaped unharmed, was issued a citation for passing the road closure signs, authorities said.

“‘ROAD CLOSED’ signs and barricades are strategically placed for your safety,” CHP reminded. “DO NOT drive past a road closure. If you come across a road closure, turn around, and find a different route.”

Netomie Cardoza, who lives near Kasson Road, told the station CBS Sacramento that she heard “this big crunch sound” when the truck was swallowed by the sinkhole.

“We look out the window and, ‘Uh-oh, it’s another,’” she said. “I don’t know. It’s ridiculous because it’s a big, giant barrier, and they were going around it.”

Five days earlier, a Volkswagen sedan plunged into the same chasm after the driver chose to disregard the warning signs.

“THIS CAN’T BE REAL!” CHP wrote at the time. “We’re at a loss for words.”

“If only there were signs and/or barriers that could have prevented this…,” officials remarked sarcastically.

The sinkhole opened up on Jan. 17 after a retention pond that had been compromised by recent floods caused the road to erode.

Just hours after law enforcement officials placed “Road Closed” and “Flooded” signs, a car drove through and got stuck in the water-filled sinkhole.

“I can’t think of another word besides stupid,” neighbor Bruce Brothers told the local CBS station. “These people shouldn’t even have driver’s licenses.”

The CHP has added more cones around the barriers to try to keep stubborn drivers away from the road until it’s repaired in a few weeks.