Swallowed by a sinkhole: 18 January 2004 After being trapped for more than two hours, Linda Sharp (attached to the harness at left) is pulled from a 10-foot-deep sinkhole by fire-rescue workers in Apopka, Fla. Sharp was walking her cocker spaniel when the ground gave way. Neighbors alerted emergency personnel when they saw dog dragging its leash.
Note : photo of rescue can be viewed at : http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/gate/archive/2004/01/20/dip.DTL&o=7 APOPKA, Fla. -- A 57-year-old Apopka woman spent more than two hours in a 10-foot-deep sinkhole Sunday after the ground gave way under her feet as she was walking her dog, according to Local 6 News. Linda Sharp squeezed the hands of family members and told them she was all right after Orange County fire-rescue workers used a crane and harness to pull her from the hole. Sharp injured her back when she fell and was taken to a local hospital. Officials said Sharp was walking her cocker spaniel Sunday afternoon when the earth suddenly gave way and she fell into a narrow hole. Neighbors noticed her missing, saw the dog dragging its leash and called 911, according to the report. Rescue workers set up a crane over the hole and lowered a rope. But because Sharp injured her back, they had to shore up the sides of the hole with plywood before fitting her with a harness to pull her out just before 8 p.m.
