Truck falls into sinkhole in West Bend after repairing sewer line

WEST BEND, Wis. - The City of West Bend found itself in a bind after a work truck fell into a sinkhole.

It happened in a West Bend neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, April 3.

Residents living along Deerfield Drive were surprised to know that just under the surface was a sinkhole at least five feet deep.

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"I came home, saw this big ole truck stuck in a sinkhole, and they had to get a crane here to lift them back up," said resident John Bass.

The city said the truck was repairing a break in a nearby sewer line after residents reported sewer backup flowing into their basements.

"It’s just terrifying," said resident Kelsey Woods. "My wife drives down this road every single day to go to work and I do occasionally as well."

As the city was cleaning up one mess, this one happened around 12:30 p.m. The ground collapsed underneath the truck as it was reversing.

Nobody was hurt, but the truck was towed away with damages. 

"My dogs were absolutely ecstatic, but for me it was like, are you kidding, are they going to close road?" Bass said. "What are we going to do? I got water in my basement because of this so I’m going to be having to do some vacuuming up the water."

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The caution cones raised new concerns for many.

"I do not feel comfortable driving down the road," Woods said. "It’s not a great feeling, especially because this is a dead end."

The city said it doesn’t have an estimate on damage for the truck. As for the sinkhole, it should be repaired minus asphalt by Thursday afternoon, April 4. That cost is between $50-60,000.