Massive sinkhole nearly swallows pickup truck in Titusville neighborhood

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - It was an abrupt wake-up call for some neighbors in Titusville after a waterline broke and caused a large sinkhole in the middle of the street, and nearly swallowed a man's truck. 

The Titusville Fire Department said the sinkhole happened shortly before 6 a.m. near Cleveland and Abbott Avenue. Firefighters arrived to find the front end of a white pickup truck had fallen into the hole and was submerged.

A spokesperson said the person inside the truck felt it start to sink before it eventually fell deeper into the ground. The driver was reportedly able to get out of the vehicle before first responders arrived on scene and was not injured.

Neighbors who live in the area awoke to no water and told FOX 35 that it's not the first time they've had to deal with a similar issue.

"If somebody’s going down the road and the road sinks in front of you, what are you going to do? Especially at night – like you said, with no streetlights or little streetlights, that should be a wake up call," said Allen Lloyd, who lives nearby. 

"I’ve noticed this is becoming a more and more issue lately," said Richard Voles, who lives in the area.

On the same street, there’s another hole in the sidewalk. Lloyd said he had one open in his front lawn about a year ago. 

Construction crews were out all day Friday working to repair the water line. For those who live in the area, a boil water notice has been issued through Sunday.

"I think the pipes are just getting so old – they’re just starting to decay around here and stuff," Vales  said. "There’s been a lot of leaks around here lately, so I’ve noticed a lot of things around Titusville are just old systems."

FOX 35 attempted multiple times to reach the storm water utility department for comment on the sinkhole and neighbors' concerns, but did not receive a response Friday.