UPDATE: One northbound lane re-opened after Ynez sinkhole nearly “gobbles” car

UPDATED: Wednesday, Nov. 21, With road closure update.

TEMECULA — Commuters and area residents accustomed to using Ynez Rd. as they travel through Temecula are having to find alternate routes to their destinations this evening after a sink hole open up, nearly swallowing a car in the process.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

Stolen vehicle pursuit leads to brief standoff in SJ parking lot

Winchester man dead after apparent DUI hit and run

“Extremely intoxicated” RivCo nurse caring for disabled child hospitalized, later arrested

Although all lanes of traffic along Ynez Rd. were initially closed between Winchester Rd. and County Center Dr., one northbound lane has re-opened, Temecula Police Department explained in a humorous social media post that declared, “GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE Looks like the city streets of Temecula can’t wait to have their Thanksgiving feast til tomorrow!”

The sinkhole was first reported shortly before 4 p.m., when 911 callers reported that a sinkhole had opened underneath a white sedan. A photograph later released by Temecula Police Department showed the car’s left rear tire inside the hole. A second photo showed scrape marks in the asphalt from the car being pulled from away from the hole by a tow truck.

It was not immediately known what caused the sinkhole to form and City crews are at the scene working to repair the roadway. Officials have not yet provided an estimated time the repairs will be completed.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.