NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans was warning cars to heed road signs and warnings on Friday after a woman's car submerged inside a hole on Poydras the night before.
The car was captured in images Thursday night that showed the front end of the car completely in the hole with the back end and tires hanging off of the edge.
WWL Louisiana's team was on the scene and spoke to the driver, Catherine Hill, who was on her way to enjoy a night at the symphony.
Massive hole swallows car on Poydras
"What the hell was happening...I couldn't believe it…Hahaha. I'm in a hole," she told WWL Louisiana.
Hill said she drove near South Liberty and Poydras, a few blocks from the Caesars Superdome and found herself in a giant sinkhole.
The city responded to the incident on Friday by sharing a photo with WWL Louisiana which they said shows hazard warnings blocking off where Hill's car got stuck. Mayor LaToya Cantrell's Communications Manager Andrew Logan warned drivers to heed warnings on city streets.
"Yesterday Sewerage and Water Board crews were working to repair a water leak on Poydras and Liberty," Logan said on Friday. "Traffic control measures were in place on Thursday evening (see picture)."
In recent days a car and a school bus have ended up in other potholes in the city.
The city said Friday that weather conditions have made roads trickier to manage.
"A note about the uptick in incidents: Soil contracts during periods of droughts," Logan said. "Because of our recent historic drought, the soils under the streets have become more concentrated, which means a pothole could become deeper because there is less soil beneath it."
There did not appear to be any injuries from Thursday night's incident.
"It did eat my car… I'm pretty sad about that because I like my car," she said. Hill told WWL Louisiana that there were no barricades and the one sign meant to warn drivers was off. And only a few planks of wood were blocking the massive hole.
"I got up to the wooden place, and I thought oh this means I can drive over it…But now I'm in a hole," she explained.
Hill said she was grateful for the good Samaritans who stopped to help her out of her car and stayed until law enforcement arrived.
"Another lady stopped and made me get in her car to keep me safe. She was very nice."
And she only has one request, to please fix these potholes, she said.
"It was…a big New Orleans experience, makes you want to love this city."
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