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Sinkhole Traps Trash Truck Outside Elementary School In Torrance

TORRANCE (CBSLA) — Yet another sinkhole managed to swallow a vehicle just going about its job in Southern California.

A crane was called in Thursday afternoon to help lift a trash truck that had fallen into a sinkhole just outside Riviera Elementary School on Paseo De Arena in Torrance.

The truck had just picked up garbage at the school and was backing out of a driveway when the street collapsed underneath it, trapping the rear left tire in a 5-foot-deep hole that was 20 feet by 10 feet. The driver was able to climb out on his own and was not hurt.

Last weekend, a sinkhole swallowed a front-loading excavator that was clearing muddy canyon roads on the Ventura County side of Malibu. The driver in this sinkhole situation was also able to self-extricate.

Recent heavy rainfall and aging streets have made potholes and sinkholes a more persistent problem throughout Southern California.

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