OHIO — Three people were hospitalized Friday night after a sinkhole opened beneath a vehicle on North Howard Street in Akron.
According to the City of Akron, firefighters were called to the area near 1151 North Howard St. around 9:41 p.m. for reports of a car trapped in a sinkhole. Crews rescued the driver, and three people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Akron police arranged for the vehicle to be towed from the hole. City officials said this was the second vehicle to drive into the sinkhole.
An investigation by city sewer and highway maintenance teams determined that the collapse was caused by an 8-inch water main break near 1133 N. Howard St. The water main, installed in 1917, is more than 100 years old.
To prevent further damage, the city shut down the affected water main from Iuka Avenue to Creston Avenue overnight and kept it closed until Saturday morning. Contractors began repairs Saturday.
Once the water main is fixed, city officials said they will assess how much of the roadway must be rebuilt and how much pavement will need to be replaced.
The sinkhole marks the second major water main break in Akron this month. Last weekend, a large water main burst flooded portions of Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
City Communications Director Stephanie Marsh said water main breaks are more common during colder months because freezing temperatures cause soil to shift and place additional pressure on aging pipes.
Much of Akron’s water infrastructure is more than a century old, she said. In the recently approved 2026 capital budget, the city allocated funding to replace 11,000 feet of deteriorating and chronically breaking water mains.
Officials said replacing aging pipes is a priority but will take time.
