Driver killed by Texas sinkhole identified as deputy

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Photo courtesy SAFD

Authorities in Texas say a part-time deputy was killed when a sinkhole swallowed her car late yesterday.

The hole, estimated to be at least 20 feet deep, opened Sunday at the scene of a sewer main rupture on the southwest side of the city.  In the dark, two vehicles unwittingly drove into the hole; the first overturned and submerged in water, while the driver of the second car was in "good shape" at a hospital after being rescued.

Emergency crews spent the night trying to rescue the driver of the first vehicle, which was 90-percent submerged in the murky, fast-flowing water.  But that mission has now become a recovery operation.

Monday afternoon, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the victim was a reserve deputy.  They say Deputy Dora Linda Nishihara had been with the sheriff's office since 2009, most recently working part-time at the county courthouse.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family," they tweeted.

Meanwhile, a crane has arrived at the scene to help pull the vehicle from the hole.

KABB-TV says city crews were not sure if the hole was caused by the sewage leak, or if the leak was caused by the hole.

LINK: Read more at FOX San Antonio