Below Ground

Below Ground

Grant Ramsey3/22/2015

English 6, period 7

The experienced runners were on their morning jog, when they ran through traffic to go get some ice cream when they noticed they were in a 12-foot sinkhole.

New York PostBy News.com.auSeptember 30, 2014 | 11:46amSix people including two children died when their car fell into a huge hole in the middle of a main road near the breakaway Crimean capital of Simferopol.Pictures show the mangled wreckage at the bottom of the huge hole and its clear there was no way driver Ibrail Eskandarov could have avoided the huge hole when it appeared in front of his vehicle at night. Eskandarov, 34, had slammed on the brakes but crashed into the hole together with his wife, Eskandarova, 33, and twins Asan and Muslim, 3, and Aliye, 16.Also killed was their friend Salimova Asiye, 37.Both of her children who were also in the car Serim, just 12 months old, and Levida, 12 were hospitalized with serious injuries. Their condition was described as critical.According to rescue workers, the massive circular hole, which was at least 20 feet deep and 25 feet wide, had suddenly appeared in the middle of the road in front of the car.When the earth caved in below the road, taking the tarmac with it, it also took out electric cables, cutting off lighting and making it impossible to see.Rescue workers spokesman Leonti Kirillov said: We had 43 rescue staff at the scene with 16 vehicles involved in the rescue effort. We managed to save a boy child and a 12-year-old girl. The boy has a serious head injury and is still in a coma, and the girl also has multiple fractures. Both are in intensive care.The accident happened on the highway between the city of Simferopol in the disputed southern Crimean Peninsula and the village of Nikolaevka.A spokesman for the regions Emergencies Ministry said it would have been impossible for the driver to have avoided the hole because the road was unlit.The agency said the six who died apparently died instantly after suffering massive injuries, and the cause of the sinkhole was being investigated.I liked the hot summers in Tampa, Florida, especially when I went running with my two best friends, Bill and Bob. Bob was a big klutz and had some serious anger issues. Bill was the smartest and was the least athletic of us. I was about to go to sleep when Bill called.Do you want to come over tomorrow and then we can go for a run with Bob, Bill asked. Sure, I added, Do you want come over to my place instead?Yah, he added, Hopefully we wont fall into any sinkholes, Ive been learning about tectonic plates, it is so cool how they are always moving.I didnt know that sink holes are caused because of tectonic plates moving, I thought sink holes happened because of other reasons, I said. Bill acts so smart all the time; it gets annoying. Bob on the other hand is quite fun to be around, but if you are not his friend he isnt so nice. I was just about to turn the lights off to go to bed when the phone rang again! I looked at the caller I.D. and it was Bill! What does he want now? I picked up the phone.What now, Bill? I asked.What time should Bob and I come over? Bill asked.Eleven oclock! I exclaimed. I heard a beeping noise on the phone; I think it was the noise when somebody wanted to beep in. I looked at the caller I.D.; it was Bob. I was about to tear my hair out when I saw that it was him.What time are we meeting at your house? Bob asked.I thought you said you were asking Bill to ask me, I added.No, I did not.Hold on a second, Bob, I said. I beeped back over to Bill and I was about to explode. I thought we decided on eleven! I exclaimed.Oh yah, I guess we did, Bill said.On that note, I hung up and went to bed. The next morning, I got up at ten oclock and had breakfast. By eleven oclock, I was ready to play some video games and run later. Bill got here first, then Bob about ten minutes later. What game are we going to play first? Bob asked I was thinking Madden 15, what about you, Bill? I said.Me too, lets leave for the run at twelve oclock.I did not want to go running because of how much we had been talking about sinkholes in class. Twelve oclock came fast and now I was ready to go. We started out slow then we increased the pace more and more until we were sprinting, then we would slow it back down. It was about one oclock when we got to the city.Can we go to Freddys to get some ice cream? Bill askedSure, I could use some ice cream, what about you Bob? Yes, I have been craving Freddys since last week, when I came to the city and forgot my money. Bob said. We had to cross one of the busiest streets in the city. We were walking across the crosswalk when I heard a scream. I looked back and saw Bob in a twelve-foot sinkhole.Help me, help me, help me! he exclaimed. I looked around for something for him to reach onto and pull him up. Bill tried to put his hand down and Bob grabbed it, but Bill fell in. I was trying to figure out what to do because I had never experienced or been near a sinkhole.Are you going to help us because we are kind of stuck in a sinkhole, Bob said. Hurry up, he added. Help, does anyone have a ladder or rope? I asked. Then I saw a rope on the sidewalk that was short, but I had to try it. I grabbed the rope and put it down the hole, but they could not reach it. Then I saw a ladder outside by Freddys that workers had left behind. I grabbed it and put it down the sinkhole. They could reach it and I got them up. I took them to the hospital for further examination.Thanks, they said, We were really lucky that they left the ladder out.