Woman screams for hours trapped overnight in 8-foot hole, Oklahoma officials say

A woman was on an evening walk when she stumbled into a mysterious hole just inches from a four-lane road in a suburban Oklahoma city, authorities said.

The hole was about 2-feet wide and about 8 or 9 feet deep — trapping the woman inside, Midwest City Fire Major David Richardson told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

Having fallen in headfirst, the 32-year-old woman was upside down in the hole as she yelled for hours trying to get someone’s attention, KOCO reported.

While it’s unclear exactly how many hours she spent in the hole, Richardson said she fell in sometime in the dark on Tuesday, Oct. 18. He estimated she was confined in the hole for eight to 12 hours as the temperatures in Midwest City dipped below freezing.

It wasn’t until about noon Wednesday when two people walking in the area heard her screams for help, he said.

They flagged down a state game warden, and he pulled over to call 911. Midwest City Fire’s technical rescue crews responded.

“They were actually able to get her out with just a simple rope,” Richardson said. They made a lasso of the rope, and authorities were able to pull her up.

The woman was found with scrapes and bruises but no other “immediate” external injuries, he said. She was taken to a hospital for a full evaluation in stable condition.

Richardson said she was dressed appropriately for the freezing weather conditions, and having been that far down into the ground, she managed to stay relatively warm.

Authorities believe the hole — near NE 23rd Street and St. Luke Avenue — was likely a sinkhole that gradually grew bigger over a period of time.

The hole had a curve to it, “almost like a slight ‘J’,” Richardson said. And there were no signs someone had dug it out themselves.

There was no fresh dirt in the area, Richardson said, and public works officials had no record of any recent projects in the area. The hole was also too close to a road to have been for a telephone pole.

The hole was immediately filled in, he said.

Midwest City is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Woman screams for hours trapped overnight in 8-foot hole, Oklahoma officials say."