Update: Woman killed after driving into giant sinkhole in Melba
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Jennifer Auh talks to neighbors and police about a sinkhole accident that took the life of one woman from Melba. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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On Wednesday, loved ones held a funeral service for a woman, who died when her car fell into a giant sinkhole in Melba.
The accident took the life of Sonia Lopez, 32. Police said she was headed to work around 4 a.m. on Saturday, when it happened. The sinkhole was two to three feet deep on a section of Butte Road.
According to the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, she was not wearing a seatbelt. Crews from the Nampa Highway District worked on the road. They said gophers dug through an irrigation canal from a farmer's field, causing the ground beneath the roadway to collapse.
The crews finished repairing the section of Butte Road on Tuesday.
Retired Dairy Farmer Ray Montgomery, who lives nearby said he's seen gophers around the area for years, but it’s tough to track them down.
“It just happened, during the night. Normally, the road will sink down and somebody will see it, but it happened, during the middle of the night,” he said.
The Melba community is still in mourning. "It’s tough for everybody. She was a very nice lady, a lot of people knew her," said Montgomery.
Friends and family planted a cross near the accident and wrote supportive messages for Sonia Lopez.
Deputies said this type of accident is very rare, but they suggest if you're going through the roadways and see something unusual, do not assume someone else will take care of it. Take immediate action and report it directly to law enforcement.
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