Driver swerving to avoid animal in the road causes crash, sinkhole in St. Johns County

An animal in the road appears to have been the cause of a single-vehicle crash which resulted in a sinkhole in St. Johns County.

We first told you Monday night that a car had crashed in to a fire hydrant at Islesbrook Parkway and South Durbin Parkway. A sinkhole opened at the site of the crash, leading a portion of the road to shut down. The car itself was almost entirely submerged in the hole.

The incident report we’ve now obtained shows the driver told investigators a dark shadow ran across the vehicle’s path. He swerved to avoid hitting it, leading him to his the fire hydrant. The crash report further says the car got stuck in the hydrant, and the vehicle sank as water poured out.

The driver was not injured. Investigators don’t believe he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and the report says he was driving under the speed limit.

The road was open to vehicle traffic today, although further repairs will need to take place in the future.