2 Months After Massive Sinkhole Swallows Cars, Laurel Canyon Blvd. Reopens

STUDIO CITY, CA — A stretch of Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Studio City was fully reopened Thursday, almost two months after a 20-foot sinkhole swallowed two vehicles, trapping a 48-year-old woman.

The busy street had been reduced to one lane in each direction in late February between Moorpark Street and Ventura Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Department of Public Works.

The sinkhole, which developed on Feb. 17, was caused by heavy rains and a sewer failure, according to the DPW.

"Work included rehabilitating the sewer line ..., construction of a new maintenance hole and the installation of concrete covers to seal the pump wet well," according to a department statement. "To conduct these repairs, a sewer bypass was installed."

Firefighters used a ladder to rescue a woman whose vehicle ended up in the sinkhole.

They arrived to find one car upside-down in a large, dark sinkhole full of rushing water.

The single occupant was standing on the upside-down car, approximately 10 feet below street level, Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The woman was in fair condition when taken to a hospital.

She told firefighters that while she was driving, she felt the car pitch to the left, then it tumbled into the sinkhole and the airbags deployed. Water started coming into the vehicle and she tried to raise the windows, which didn't work, Scott said.

The woman said she was able to open the door and climb on top of the car and started screaming for help.

The driver of the second vehicle that fell into the sinkhole was able to get out of the car unharmed, Scott said.

City News Service