OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A massive crater opened in the road on Old Hickory Boulevard near Dupont Hadley Middle School earlier this week, badly damaging at least one vehicle and raising questions about what caused the road to give way.
Taylor Stevens sent video of the gaping hole in the right northbound lane. According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, a stormwater pipe beneath the road collapsed, causing the deep hole to form.
Stevens said her pickup dropped into the crater around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday while she was changing lanes during a rainstorm.
The damage to her truck was extensive. Stevens was left with three flat tires, damaged rims, two tires jammed against the frame, and a truck bed cover knocked out of alignment.
Stevens said she and others who stopped to check on the damage quickly realized the hole was far larger than a typical pothole.
"While checking out the damage we heard another vehicle hit what we did, and went to check on them. With the amount of damage we knew it was big. We made it over to the area of accident and OHB was completely sinking in. I'm talking 6 feet in the ground, 5 feet of road missing. I don't know how we made it out of this hole," said Taylor Stevens in her email.
No one was seriously injured.
TDOT crews filled the hole and repaved the area Thursday morning.
A TDOT spokesperson said the stormwater pipe beneath the road collapsed, though it is not clear whether the heavy rainfall contributed to the failure. We asked about the material beneath the road. She said it was original soils, a clay and rock mixture, plus rock and base stone. Specifically around the utility line, there was a concrete mixture and rock.
Drivers whose vehicles are damaged by a roadway issue may be able to seek compensation through the Risk Management Fund managed by the Tennessee Department of Revenue. The state typically requires documentation of the damage, along with evidence that the hazard was caused by negligence or an unsafe roadway condition.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
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