Safety cones are there for a reason.

A rushing Maryland driver who tried to take a shortcut ended up being very late... and very wet.

The man was driving his Cadillac sedan along South Osborne Road in Upper Marlboro on Wednesday when he came upon safety cones and barriers blocking the road.

Instead of detouring, he continued straight on through them — and into the gaping water-filled sinkhole they were trying to guard.

As the car began to sink, the impatient driver managed to scramble out to safety; he was taken to hospital luckily suffering only minor injuries.

His vehicle was not so lucky however; aerial footage showed it completely submerged at the bottom of the pit.

#Chopper4 Video: Rosaryville, MD: SUV completely submerged in sinkhole on S Osborne Rd at 301 Crain Hwy in Prince George's County, no injuries reported @nbcwashington #BreakingNews #mdtraffic pic.twitter.com/dBdRlkle93

— ʙʀᴀᴅ ꜰʀᴇɪᴛᴀꜱ (@Chopper4Brad) August 11, 2021

According to WSSC Water, repair crews had been called to the area at 4 AM that morning to fix a broken 30-inch water main; which had caused the large sinkhole. They immediately set up safety cones and barriers to stop people from driving in... or so they'd hoped.

It took crews working in the sweltering heat until 5 PM to finally haul the soggy car out of the hole using a crane, before it was loaded onto a flatbed truck and hauled away.

WSSC officials also rebuilt their barrier, begging motorists to actually pay attention to them this time.

"We don't want something like this to happen. So we have the cones out there. They're bright," a spokesman told NBC. "We want you to stay safe, so respect the work zone."

Our crews respond to an avg of 1,800 water main breaks every year. If you see our crews, our trucks plz follow traffic directions and respect the work zone. Help us keep you and our team safe! #WorkZoneSafety pic.twitter.com/Qyh8Yq39zL

— WSSC Water (@WSSCWaterNews) August 11, 2021

The vehicle is out! Still some water to pump out of the hole before crews can begin the repairs to the water main. Long day and a long night of repairs ahead. pic.twitter.com/CJGDv2qPRU

— WSSC Water (@WSSCWaterNews) August 11, 2021

Local business owners meanwhile were furious at the extended — and completely avoidable — delays.

"We were just starting to get busy this week. We was just having our best week," said newly-opened Catch 22 restaurant owner Sammy Davis, who estimated the shut down cost him $8k-$10k per day. "This is horrible."

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Title: Cadillac Driver Ignores Barriers Around Waterworks Repairs, Instantly Regrets it
Sourced From: toofab.com/2021/08/12/cadillac-driver-ignores-barriers-around-giant-maryland-sinkhole-instantly-regrets-it/
Published Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:25:15 +0000

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