On Tuesday, motorists in Omaha, Nebraska, were stranded at an intersection after a gigantic sinkhole opened up, trapping them in an open cavity in the road.
Moments later, bystanders stepped in to help the drivers and get them to safety. Among the good Samaritans who sprang into action were two Nebraska Omaha Mavericks women’s basketball players.
“I was still in the car, and I saw a man in a hole,” guard Olivia Borsutzki, who approached the scene first, said. “I was like, ‘I need to help.’ Nobody was helping.”
Borsutzki’s teammate, guard Esra Kurban, who arrived moments later, was still trying to process what was happening. “I didn’t even know sinkholes existed,” Kurban said. “I was thinking, is it going to fall more?”
Within several minutes, Borsutzki and Kurban were able to get both drivers out of the sinkhole. The players say one of the drivers was ‘visibly shaken’, and they later offered to let him sit in their car. No injuries were reported in connection with the two-car incident, and surrounding roads were closed off as officials assessed the situation.
The Nebraska Omaha’s assistant athletic director, Jordan Sarnoff, later confirmed the two Omaha players were on site at the sinkhole. In a post on X, Sarnoff also shared footage of the roadway mishap.
‘Two @UNOmaha Mavericks didn’t hesitate,’ Sarnoff said. ‘Proud of @OmahaWBB’s Olivia Borsutzki and Esra Kurban for stepping up in a critical moment Tuesday next to campus.’
Borsutzki and Kurban say they thought other people, including nearby adults, would step in to help the stranded drivers. However, several cars drove past the accident, and others close by had their cell phones out to record.
“We thought grown men were going to stop and help,” Borsutzki and Kurban said. “But no one did. So we left the car.”