Woman rescued 11 hours after her car falls 40 feet into Florida sinkhole

A woman was rescued after she spent 11 hours underground when her car fell 40 feet into a sinkhole in Florida.

The woman was driving with a man on private property at about 8 p.m. Wednesday when they drove into the sinkhole, the High Springs Fire Department said.

After falling into the sinkhole, they were somehow able to crawl out of the vehicle windows. However, only the man was able to scale the steep slope out of the sinkhole and ask for help.

Given the location of the sinkhole, about a quarter-mile off Poe Springs Road, rescuers could only get there on specialized four-wheel drive and all-terrain vehicles. Lt. Kevin Pearson was then able to rappel into the chasm, where he made contact with the woman. He then secured her to a harness and rope system and she was lifted from the sinkhole around 7:21 a.m. She didn’t have any serious injuries.

Firefighters have had to rescue someone from that sinkhole before too.

In September, the High Springs Fire Department and the Alachua County Fire Rescue rescued two ATV riders from the same sinkhole. Barriers were installed after the incident. However, the barriers seem to have been removed or destroyed, officials said.

Several “private property” and “no trespassing” signs still hang across the area.

High Springs police are also investigating the incident.