A team of more than 30 volunteer firefighters, doctors, paramedics and trench rescue specialists worked almost two hours to rescue a man who fell into a sinkhole Monday evening on the shoulder of Route 286 between Indiana and Clymer. If not for the curiosity of a passing motorist, authorities might instead have been on a search mission and, likely, a recovery operation.
Dave Helman, of Houck Road, Indiana, plunged into the hole some time after dark, while he walked on the perimeter of a house and property that belonged to his late mother, inspecting for any problems in the wake of the weekend’s heavy rainfall and flooding, according to Assistant Chief John Gromley, of the Clymer Volunteer Fire Department.
Helman was alone. It was about 9:30 p.m. And no one knew that he had fallen.