NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk police officer, A.J. Stevenson, rescued a woman from a sinkhole that opened on a downtown Norfolk road on Tuesday; he delivered remarks regarding his response to the incident on Thursday.
The sinkhole near the base of the I-264 westbound Exit 10 ramp onto East City Hall Avenue, trapping a woman inside her vehicle.
"I stepped into the sinkhole and water came up to chest height," Stevenson recalled.
The officer explained that bystanders assisted him in rescuing the woman from her car. They held onto his duty belt, which allowed him to pull her out safely.
The woman's daughter previously spoke to News 3 and shared what her mother has been experiencing since the incident.
Watch: Sinkhole opens on road in downtown Norfolk amid severe weather
"My mother is shaken up and upset," she wrote in a text message to News 3. "She was just driving to go do something for her job and the road fell in. Her life flashed before her eyes. Thank God for her guardian angels she made it out alive."
She also questioned the condition of Norfolk's roads.
"My mother is a safe driver but what isn't safe is Norfolk city road. They must do something about these unsafe roads."
Watch previous coverage: Driver's family calls for action after sinkhole on City Hall Avenue in Norfolk swallows car
According to the City of Norfolk, the sinkhole was caused by a water main break. Officials said crews isolated the damaged pipe, allowing repairs to begin without interrupting water service because of redundancies in the city's water distribution system.
Norfolk City Councilman Carlos Clanton said council members were in a work session when they learned about the collapse.
"We were in council work session when we heard it happen, and there was just a lot of rain," Clanton said. "Councilwoman Johnson and Councilman Smigiel were delayed... she was flooded in."
Clanton said the sinkhole formed in an area already undergoing construction as part of the city's Blue Greenway project. He said city staff later informed council members the collapse was caused by a water main break.
The incident has renewed conversations about Norfolk's aging infrastructure and the city's ongoing resiliency efforts.
"We're working aggressively throughout the city to find and get ahead of this," Clanton said. "We know that we have sea level rise that's greater than it has ever been before, and we're a city that's below sea level, so we've got to take measures to ensure that we can protect the assets and, most importantly, protect people."
City officials said crews continue repairing the damaged water main, and City Hall Avenue is expected to reopen Friday morning.
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