Sinkhole that swallowed Florida man 'unstable'

Related Photos

Jeremy Bush, brother of Jeff Bush, breaks down as he speaks to the media about attempting to rescue Jeff as he disappeared in a sinkhole Friday, March 1, 2013, in Seffner, Fla. Jeff Bush screamed for help and disappeared as a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of the house, his brother said Friday. Jeremy Bush told rescue crews he heard a loud crash near midnight Thursday, then heard his brother screaming. There's been no contact with Jeff Bush since then, and neighbors on both sides of the home have been evacuated. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Family members console each other near the home where Jeff Bush disappeared as a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of his house on Friday, March 1, 2013, in Seffner, Fla. Jeremy Bush told rescue crews he heard a loud crash near midnight Thursday, then heard his brother screaming. There's been no contact with Jeff Bush since then, and neighbors on both sides of the home have been evacuated. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Jeremy Bush heard a loud crash and screaming coming from the room of his brother, Jeff Bush (pictured) early Thursday, March 1, 2013, in Seffner, Fla. A large sinkhole opened under Jeff's bedroom and he disappeared together with most of the bedroom furniture. Jeremy jumped into the hole and was quickly up to his neck in dirt. Jeff is presumed dead. (AP Photo/Jeremy Bush, HO)

Discussion

March 1, 2013

Sinkhole that swallowed Florida man 'unstable'

By Chris O'Meara and Tamara Lush Associated Press Fri Mar 01, 2013, 10:29 PM CST

SEFFNER, Fla. — In a matter of seconds, the earth opened under Jeff Bush's bedroom and swallowed him up like something out of a horror movie. About the only thing left was the TV cable running down into the hole.

Bush, 37, was presumed dead Friday, the victim of a sinkhole — a hazard so common in Florida that state law requires home insurers to provide coverage against the danger.

The sinkhole, estimated at 20 feet across and 20 feet deep, caused the home's concrete floor to cave in around 11 p.m. Thursday as everyone in the Tampa-area house was turning in for the night. It gave way with a loud crash that sounded like a car hitting the house and brought Bush's brother running.

Jeremy Bush said he jumped into the hole but couldn't see his brother and had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy who reached out and pulled him to safety as the ground crumbled around him.

"The floor was still giving in and the dirt was still going down, but I didn't care. I wanted to save my brother," Jeremy Bush said through tears Friday in a neighbor's yard. "But I just couldn't do nothing."

He added: "I could swear I heard him hollering my name to help him."

Officials lowered equipment into the sinkhole and saw no signs of life, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico.

A dresser and the TV set had vanished down the hole, along with most of Bush's bed.

"All I could see was the cable wire running from the TV going down into the hole. I saw a corner of the bed and a corner of the box spring and the frame of the bed," Jeremy Bush said.

At a news conference Friday night, county administrator Mike Merrill described the home as "seriously unstable." He said no one can go in the home because officials were afraid of another collapse and losing more lives. The soil around the home was very soft and the sinkhole was expected to grow.

Engineers said they may have to demolish the small, sky-blue house, even though from the outside there appeared to be nothing wrong with the four-bedroom, concrete-wall structure, built in 1974.

"I cannot tell you why it has not collapsed yet," said Bill Bracken, the owner of engineering company called on to assess the sinkhole and home.

Engineers said there was an initial collapse followed by another one a short time later. The hole was 15 feet deep but grew to about 25 feet deep, and it was about 20 feet to 30 feet across.

Florida is highly prone to sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water. A sinkhole near Orlando grew to 400 feet across in 1981 and devoured five sports cars, most of two businesses, a three-bedroom house and the deep end of an Olympic-size swimming pool.

Death by sinkhole! Florida man swallowed up by huge hole in his bedroom.

Jeremy Bush said someone came out to the home a couple of months ago to check for sinkholes and other things, apparently for insurance purposes.

"He said there was nothing wrong with the house. Nothing. And a couple of months later, my brother dies. In a sinkhole," Bush said.

Six people were at the home at the time, including Jeremy Bush's wife and his 2-year-old daughter. The brothers worked maintenance jobs, including picking up trash along highways.

___

Follow Lush at www.twitter.com/tamaralush

Online: Get the facts about sinkholes

Text Only

State, national, world

Measuring the loss of WWII generation in 7 days
These were the men who made history in places such as Normandy and Anzio, Iwo Jima and Peleliu, vets who came home and helped build highways and houses, toiled in factories and offices, even launched their own companies. They were the ones lucky enough to see their hair turn silver, to dance at their children's weddings, to cuddle their grandchildren.

May 25, 2013 9 Photos
Mo. highway buckles after rail cars hit overpass
The bridge collapsed after a Union Pacific train hit the side of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train at a rail intersection. Derailed rail cars then hit columns supporting the Highway M overpass, causing it to buckle and partially collapse.

May 25, 2013 4 Photos
San Antonio flooding kills 1; 200-plus rescued
"It was pretty crazy. It was pretty unexpected. We hardly got any warning about it." — Gera Hinojosa, a valet parking cars downtown after the storm

May 25, 2013 3 Photos
Obama refocuses terror threat to pre-9/11 level
"Wishing the defeat of terrorists does not make it so." — Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

May 25, 2013 1 Photo
Judge: Ariz. sheriff's office profiles Latinos
The ruling marks a thorough repudiation of the immigration patrols that made Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio a national political figure, and it represents a victory for those who pushed the lawsuit.

May 25, 2013 1 Photo
16 children, 1 teacher die in Pakistan bus fire
Police officer Ijaz Ahmad said the fleeing driver could have saved many lives. "We have been told that he fled from there when the children were crying for help."

May 25, 2013 3 Photos
Oklahoma Legislature OKs tax breaks for storm victims
The bill approved unanimously in the Senate on Friday also provides sales tax breaks for businesses that donate inventory to help storm victims and property tax credits for property that increases in value after it's rebuilt.

May 24, 2013 1 Photo
Update: Company says it has permits to cross span
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on a tractor-trailer carrying a tall load that hit an upper part of the span. Motorists in the water walked away with minor injuries.

May 23, 2013 3 Photos
Birth control coverage, Hobby Lobby fight up for federal appeal
The Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts chain argues that businesses — not just the currently exempted religious groups — should be allowed to seek exception from access to the morning-after pill section of the health law if it violates their religious beliefs.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos 3 Stories
Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys
Gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout leaders.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos
More State, national, world Headlines

State, national, world

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Sinkhole that swallowed Florida man 'unstable'

Site Map

Contact Us