SUV Gets Stuck In Hole From Water Main Break

HOUSTON – A sport utility vehicle got stuck in a large hole created by a water main break in west Houston Wednesday.

When the water main broke, the force of the water broke apart part of Lakeside Place Road at Hayes Road at 7 a.m.

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A sport utility vehicle's driver did not realize the road had cracked and said his vehicle got stuck.

Cassius Pambamji was headed home from work when he hit the hole.

"I heard a big bang and it started rolling over, and by the time I realized I was upside down, my driver's door was (in the air)," he said.

Pambamji called 911 and a tow truck pulled his SUV out of the hole.

"Did a lot of water get into the car?" KPRC Local 2 asked.

"A lot of water, a lot of water," he said.

The Department of Public Works is overwhelmed with broken water mains across the city. Mayor Annise Parker said there are more than 1,000 water main breaks in the city, which is five times the normal number.

"We are running every crew we have. We have private sector crews. We have borrowed crews from other cities, for which we are paying," Parker said.

The city said it repairs about 100 breaks each day, but crews cannot keep up with the growing problem.

Officials said they do not have a time estimate on when the water main break on Lakeside Place Road will be repaired.