"Am I Gonna Drown": Sinkhole Survivor Tells Her Story

By MONICA BUCHANAN

Updated 8:14 AM EST, Fri, Nov 20, 2009

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She was rescued with just seconds to spare and now Kimberly Edwards is telling her story exclusively to NBC Connecticut.

The mother of 9 had a dramatic run-in with a fire hydrant and a sinkhole Wednesday in East Hartford. She never imagined something like that could happen on her way to work. Edwards says a deer ran out in front of her car and she ran her car right into a fire hydrant!

“All I saw was what appeared to be trees and water and then the back window bust out and things were hitting the windows,” said Edwards.

Seconds later, water started shooting 25 feet into the air! “I didn’t know what was going on. No clue,” said Edwards.

But the crash wasn’t all she had to worry about. Power lines were dangling overhead and the ground below was washing away! Her car was sinking! “I thought it was a tow truck trying to pull me to safety. Boy, was I wrong!” said Edwards.

Her car was being swallowed by a sinkhole. Even though this mother of 9 doesn’t remember much of the crash, she does remember the rocks, mud and water.

“All I kept saying was, can I breathe in this water? The black stuff is coming in and can I breathe in it? Am I going to drown?” said Edwards.

Rescue crews made it to her just in time. In the end, she walked away with just an arm brace and few sore muscles. Edwards says she’s lucky to be alive.

“What a nightmare. I was like somebody pinch me, I’ve had enough.”