SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A WCA trash truck cracked through a concrete driveway and plummeted into a 10-foot-deep hole early Monday morning.
The driver wasn't injured, but the truck remained lodged in the hole for several hours before a tow truck was able to pull it out.
The incident happened at a small apartment complex on University Street, near the Ruby's Market grocery store on East Sunshine Street. The truck was on the driveway and preparing to pick up a large metal waste bin when it suddenly broke through the concrete.
"The police lights woke me up," said neighbor John Marks. "I looked out and saw the front end of the truck down in the hole and its tires splayed out. Before that, I didn't hear anything. I was asleep!"
Although it has been described as a sinkhole, Marks looked at the crater during daylight and said he didn't think that's what it was.
"It's not a sinkhole. It's just a cistern that collapsed from the weight of the truck," he said. "I'm sure the rainwater had something to do with it."
A view into the hole revealed a square concrete structure with a top that appeared to have collapsed. Large chunks of concrete littered the hole. A small exit pipe on the south side made Marks think it might be an old septic tank that was never filled in.
And he's right.
The new owner of the Tanglewood Apartments, where the collapse occurred, said a city inspector came out Monday morning to take a look.
"He said it's not a sinkhole but an old septic system that's out of use," said Chris Reda, who recently purchased the apartments with plans to renovate them. "When the truck went over it, it just gave way. I'm so thankful nobody was hurt."
Reda said it was the first time WCA had serviced the property. He hopes to have the gaping hole, which is marked by yellow tape, filled in within a few days.
Because other Tanglewood apartment buildings were constructed at the same time as the one near the collapse, Reda said he'll be working with the city to find out if there are other old septic tanks still underground.
