A huge sinkhole has swallowed three cars in Chicago. The sinkhole opened up on the Southeast side of Chicago on Thursday, swallowing three cars and injuring one person. Around 5 a.m, witnesses said the hole opened up, growing rapidly from about 20 feet to about 40 feet. Two cars slid in right away, then, as the whole widened, a third was sucked in, according to witnesses who spoke to the Chicago Tribune.

A fourth vehicle was about to fall inside and towed from the edge as it was, witnesses said. The driver who was injured was trying to drive away from the sinkhole and it gave away around him. He was pulled from the hole by medics then rushed to the hospital.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital took in the patient, who was driving. He was admitted at serious-to-critical condition with minor head injuries, Chicago Police Department spokesman Michael Sullivan reported to the Chicago Tribune.  The patient's condition has now been upgraded to good.  

One witness, Ola Oni, said she was about to get into her car to go to work when she saw her vehicle be sucked into the sinkhole. Despite this loss, she says she feels lucky that she wasn't hurt.

"It could have happened to me, I am lucky, I'm happy," Oni said. "In this kind of neighborhood I don't think this should happen." Oni said the neighborhood was "in danger".

The fire department responeded at around 5:30 AM, when only two cars had fallen into the sinkhole. A third fell into the sinkhole after the fire crews arrived.

Heavy rains may have contributed to the incident, but aging infrastructure and  water main breakage likely exacerbated it. Tom LaPorte, spokesman for the Water Department, said a cast iron pipe that a water main is from around 1915 broke, causing the ground around it to collapse. Officials are investigating the incident.