A Vermont family are lucky to be alive after a massive sinkhole opened up in the middle of a mountain road during a rainstorm, swallowing their two cars.
Brian and Angel Richardson were driving up Mines Road in their hometown of Lowell early Saturday morning after picking up their son, Alex, from the airport, when the roadway caved in.
Their two vehicles fell 5 feet straight down, but the Richardsons managed to climb out to safety just before the ground gave way and their cars sank another 20 feet.
Swallowed up: The Richardsons' two cars are pictured at the bottom of a 25-foot chasm that opened up in the middle of Mines Road in Lowell, Vermont
Shoddy work: Officials believe a quick rainstorm caused a flash flood, which was too violent for a 5-foot plastic culvert installed in the road to handle
Once the parents and their son were back on solid ground, water, rocks and dirt showered down on their stranded vehicles and the sinkhole deepened.
Lowell Road Commissioner Reginald Pion told WCAX that a quick rainstorm caused a flash flood, which was too violent for a 5-foot plastic culvert installed in the road last year to handle.
As a result, the conduit uprooted and the asphalt on top gave way, opening into a sinkhole 30 feet wide and about 25 feet deep.
Lt Kirk Cooper, of the Vermont State Police, told The Newport Daily Express that the incident happened just before 3am Saturday when Angel Richardson was driving her 16-year-old son back from the airport to their home in Lowell.
Angel's husband, Brian, was following his wife and son in his own car on the sleek blacktop.
Homecoming: Brian Richardson (left) was driving behind his wife, Angel (center), who had their son, Alex (right) in the car with her on their way from the airport
Dream vacation: Alex Richardson (far right) spent last week traveling in Costa Rica
The woman did not see the washout because it was dark and raining at the time, and drove into the abyss that opened in the middle of the roadway.
Her husband also did not see the chasm and followed his wife, but the quick-thinking motorist managed to turn the wheel just in time so his car would not land on top of his wife's, which likely ended up saving the lives of Angel and Alex Richardson.
Family friend Ryan Sargent saw the Richardsons later in the day and said they escaped with little more than some bumps, bruises and a broken arm.
On her Facebook page, Angel Richardson wrote that her son, Alex, went on a trip to Costa Rica last week, and she was looking forward to seeing him.
Stormy night: It was dark and raining hard at the time of the accident, so the Richardsons were unable to see the washout in the middle of the road
Life-saving move: Angel Richardson drove her car into the sinkhole, followed by her husband, who at the last moment turned the wheel to avoid landing on top of his wife's vehicle
Aftermath: The cars were pelted with large rocks and filled with dirt, but the family managed to escape with little more than bumps, bruises and a broken arm
Pion believes that the 5-foot culvert, which replaced a 30-inch culvert in 2012, may not have been properly installed because the select board was operating on a shoestring budget and picked a contractor whose bid was the lowest of all.
‘It makes me sick. When you first see your neighbor, your friend, with her face all blood because they crashed in your road-- you want to cry,’ Pion said.State transportation officials are expected to launch an investigation to determine what type of drainage structure is required for the road. Pion estimates repairs could cost more than $100,000, which will be footed by taxpayers.