Photos released of sinkhole that killed Melba woman in July
BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) - If you've ever driven a country road, take pause: New photos released by the Canyon County Sheriff's Office show a sinkhole that killed a Melba woman in mid-July.
Officials at the time said that 32-year-old Sonia Lopez was killed when her car crashed into the 15-foot-wide and 40-foot-long sinkhole on Butte Road near Melba on July 14 at about 4 a.m.
Nampa Highway District Director Casey Bequeath says irrigation water from a nearby field running through gopher tunnels likely weakened the ground beneath the street.
Bequeath says it is difficult to detect such problems ahead of time and that transportation officials had no idea the road was going to collapse.
The crash was not made public until days after it occurred, and the sinkhole had been repaired.
Officials at the time said that 32-year-old Sonia Lopez was killed when her car crashed into the 15-foot-wide and 40-foot-long sinkhole on Butte Road near Melba on July 14 at about 4 a.m.
Nampa Highway District Director Casey Bequeath says irrigation water from a nearby field running through gopher tunnels likely weakened the ground beneath the street.
Bequeath says it is difficult to detect such problems ahead of time and that transportation officials had no idea the road was going to collapse.
The crash was not made public until days after it occurred, and the sinkhole had been repaired.
without standing near the sinkhole it looks like not enough large rock under asphalt to support roadway. Big rock does not get washed away.
wow that sucks for her and her family,makes me hate gophers even more
That is terrible, but why did they wait until the sink hole was fixed to report it to the public?
That's a terrible thing to happen. Am I the only one who is trying to figure out how she died though? There's really not that much damage to the car and the woman was young. It's just unexpected...
 @PleaseBeSmart I was wondering the same thing, maybe no seat belt or her head hit the side support pillar. Either way it's a sad story.
 @Bender In picture #7 you can see where the windshield is damaged, presumably from contact with her head.
 @mobius I read the article on my phone so I couldn't see the picture that well so it was a bit of speculation, thanks for the info.
Thats one hell've pot hole, very sad story .