One of probably the most shocking and tragic events of 2013 was the sudden disappearance of Jeff Bush, a 37-year-old landscape architect from Seffner, Florida. Bush was sleeping in his bed on the night of February 28 when an enormous hole opened under his bedroom and swallowed him.
His brother Jeremy, who was in one other room, heard a loud crash and scream and ran to assist, but couldn’t see or hear Jeff.
“We heard Jeff screaming,” Rachel said ABC Action News then. “We ran down the hall, I turned on the light, we opened the door and all we saw was a big old hole and Jeff was gone.”
Jeremy jumped into the outlet to try to save lots of his brother, but a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy had to drag him to safety as the bottom continued to collapse around him.
“The floor kept giving and the dirt kept falling, but I didn't care. I wanted to save my brother,” Jeremy said Guardian. “But I just couldn't do anything.”
“I could have sworn I heard him screaming my name to assist him.
The rescue operation was soon called off because the outlet was deemed too unstable and dangerous to enter. Rescuers were unable to locate Bush's body from the sinkhole, which swallowed the bedroom furniture with him.
The sinkhole that swallowed Jeff's life was not typical. Sinkholes are common in Florida, where limestone bedrock is eroded by acidic groundwater, creating underground depressions that may collapse when surface soil becomes too heavy or wet.
However, most sinkholes are small and gradual and might be detected and repaired before they cause serious damage. The sinkhole that took Jeff was large and sudden, and occurred with none warning signs.
It was estimated to be about 20 feet wide and 60 feet deep, and over time it expanded, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes.
The explanation for the sinkhole stays unknown, but some experts suggest it could have occurred in consequence of heavy rainfall, drought or human activity corresponding to water pumping or drilling.
The sinkhole also reopened in 2015, two years after the incident, making a recent hole in the identical place. The land where Jeff's house once stood was purchased by Hillsborough County and became a memorial park for him and other victims of the sinkhole.
Jeff's family and friends remember him as a form and hard-working man who loved his five children and enjoyed fishing and camping. His tragic death is a reminder of the unpredictable and powerful forces of nature that may strike at any time.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
