‘It was wild, just roaring’: Massive sinkhole takes over man’s driveway

EVERTON, Mo. (KY3/Gray News) – A massive sinkhole that opened up in a Missouri man’s driveway continues to grow, leaving the property owner searching for solutions to fill the expanding hole.

Darel Oberbeck Jr. said he first spotted signs of the sinkhole outside his Everton home on Nov. 10.

“It was about six feet in diameter. It took up about half, like from about the center of the driveway to about three feet into the field,” Oberbeck said.

The hole continued to grow over the following few days. On Nov. 15, Oberbeck said the hole expanded dramatically.

“I left early to go up to my folks to do some work, and I mean, it sounded like a tornado was going off inside of it,” Oberbeck said. “It was wild, just roaring.”

Oberbeck said about three feet broke off around the hole during that incident.

As it continues to get bigger, Oberbeck said he and his neighbors are growing more worried about their safety.

“What I’m concerned about is right across the street, the Dyes Park,” Leonna Hankins, a friend and neighbor, said. “Kids are coming there all the time. There are kids right behind these trees here. There is the creek, Sinking Creek, and they go fishing there.”

Hankins said her biggest concern is safety and finding a way to fill the hole.

“And we just, we need, there’s got to be someone out there that has had this problem before, because Missouri is full of these sinkholes,” Hankins said.

Geologist inspects site

Oberbeck said the Division of Natural Resources sent a geologist to inspect the hole last week.

Oberbeck said he was told the side toward the creek appears to be at a standstill, but the section toward his field could grow bigger.

Because the hole is on private property, the city of Everton said it can’t do anything about it.

“Where all this rock has gone, all this dirt has gone, I couldn’t tell you,” Oberbeck said.

Until he is able to get the hole filled, Oberbeck said he is worried about what could happen.

“Could it eat the bank out to the creek before I finally get something done so that the kids don’t get hurt?” Oberbeck said. “I don’t want anybody hurt. That’s the last thing that I want.”

For Oberbeck, the biggest question is what to fill the hole with and how to go about it. He is hoping someone might have answers to help him develop a plan.

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