STUCK IN A HOLE

(APOPKA, Fla.) — It was a typical Sunday afternoon for 57-year-old Linda Sharp. She grabbed her dog and his leash and headed out for a routine walk. Everything was fine until she hit a bump in the road. “I stepped on a little bubble in the ground and it just swallowed me up,” Sharp said on ABCNEWS’ Good Morning America. “I mean, from there, it was quick. I didn’t even know what was happening.”

Sharp had been literally swallowed by the ground beneath her feet. She was trapped in the sinkhole with a hurt back for three hours until rescue workers were able to devise a complicated plan to pull her out. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before help was summoned. Neighbors found her dog, Bouncer, running around with his leash dragging behind. They took the dog back to Sharp’s home, where her daughter was waiting for her. Realizing Sharp wasn’t there, they started to search the neighborhood.

Orange County rescue workers said Sharp’s recovery, which was achieved through the use of plywood sheets, a crane and a harness, was very dangerous. However, Haskett said this sinkhole was a bit unique in that it was smaller at the top (about 3 feet in diameter) than the bottom (about 6 feet in diameter) and it was made of sand with a sugary texture, which made it particularly dangerous for a rescue. “I put a victim harness on her and packaged her in a special harness which stabilizes the spine and cervical area before hauling her out with a rope system,” he said. Sharp was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released Sunday. She says she is still in pain.