Yahoo News Mom and Daughter Rescue Man Who Fell into Sinkhole While Riding Bike with Son: 'Whole Sidewalk Was Gone'
The women were driving in New Mexico when they found the man inside the sinkhole, screaming for help
A mother and daughter helped save a father from falling further into a sinkhole near a bridge over the Rio Grande in New Mexico.
On Saturday, Heaven Chavez and her mom, Jackie Rodriguez, were driving on Highway 6, just east of the river in Los Lunas, when Rodriguez heard a man calling for help.
"My window was cracked when I heard somebody yelling for help," Rodriguez said during an interview with ABC affiliate KOAT-TV.
The women doubled back and found that a sidewalk running along the highway had virtually disappeared — and that a man, who was riding his bike with his son, had fallen inside, per the outlet.
"The whole sidewalk was gone," Chavez told the station.
As the pair worked to keep the man calm, they waited about 20 minutes for first responders to arrive. Once there, authorities and Rodriguez were able to help the man to safety.
The sinkhole caused a ripple effect in which the Main Street river bridge was then closed by authorities on Sunday, the Los Lunas Police Department said in a statement on Facebook, as the New Mexico Department of Transportation worked to assess damage to the structure.
By late in the day, the bridge had reopened, the Village of Los Lunas announced on social media.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
A spokesperson for the Village of Los Lunas did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for additional comment.
High water flows in the Rio Grande and nearby culverts likely caused the sinkhole, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
By Monday morning, both directions of the bridge had been reopened, but the local school district was operating on a remote learning schedule due to the shutdown, according to the newspaper.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
