Man, 62, falls 30ft into sinkhole after ground suddenly collapsed at UK holiday park & feared he’d be crushed by own BMW

A FORMER miner feared he would be crushed to death after plunging 30ft into a sinkhole which opened beneath his car at a holiday park. Ian Haynes, 62, feared he was a “dead man” after the ground gave way beneath him during the terrifying ordeal during his stay in Cornwall. The gaping sinkhole at a holiday campsite in Cornwall Credit: BPM Ian plunged down a terrifying 30ft into a ditch of water below Credit: BPM The grandfather had been standing beside his BMW when the concrete suddenly collapsed, sending him plunging into the darkness below. Ian told CornwallLive: “I thought, ‘you’re gone, mate, your time is over’.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He said the terrifying fall lasted around three seconds and began as he stood near the door of his car. Ian added: “I was near the door [of the car] and I just went through the concrete. The former miner feared for his life Credit: BPM Firefighters hauled out the stricken grandad with a rope Credit: BPM “You can imagine, I’m going down a hole, looking up and seeing a car wheel above my head and this hole is getting smaller and smaller.” The granddad was then left trapped below ground as his BMW remained precariously positioned above the hole. He feared the vehicle could come crashing down on top of him as more than 60 emergency service workers raced to get him out. Ian said he was also haunted by the thought of his grandchildren, who had been playing in the same area during the holiday. Most read in The Sun Ian said: “My grandchildren were playing in that spot while we were on holiday and the caravan next door to us was two retired old ladies who had to walk past that spot to go to the toilet every day.” Ian had been staying at Higher Trevaskis Caravan and Camping Park in Connor Downs, near Hayle, for almost a fortnight. He was due to leave the following day when he parked his BMW in the same spot he had used throughout his stay. But he noticed the front of the car had suddenly “dropped down” and called the park owner to investigate. Ian noticed the wheel of his BMW had dropped into a sudden sinkhole Credit: BPM The ex-miner thought his time was up – then miraculously survived with just scratches Credit: BPM As Ian stood near the vehicle waiting, the ground gave way. He plunged into the sinkhole and landed in water below, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said he was around 30ft down. Ian was trapped for around 55 minutes while emergency crews worked to reach him safely. Miraculously, Ian escaped with only cuts and bruising. But the former miner says the emotional scars have proved much harder to shake. He has described suffering from PTSD since the terrifying fall, with the ordeal continuing to haunt his sleep. Ian said he is still “jumping” out of bed in the early hours with the sensation that he is falling again. The crater had initially been no bigger than a pothole where one of his BMW’s wheels was parked. By the following day, it had grown into a hole large enough to swallow a vehicle. Though fire services believe he fell 30ft, the grandad, from Nottinghamshire, thinks the drop was around 100 to 140ft. Cornwall Dire and Rescue Services raced to the scene after receiving an emergency call at around 6pm on July 24. A spokesperson said: “Firefighters used line rescue equipment to rescue a casualty who was approximately 30ft down a sinkhole. The casualty was left in the care of the ambulance service.” Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Officers attended Gwinear Road shortly after 6pm on 24 July to provide support to emergency services who were responding to a report of a man having fallen into a sinkhole. A number of people were cleared from the area for safety.” A spokesperson for Higher Trevaskis Caravan and Camping Park said: “We would like to thank everyone involved in the rescue and also the experts involved in making the site safe for our customers which is always our number one priority. “An unrecorded, historical mining feature opened up in an isolated area of the park. Our emergency safety protocols were activated instantly, and the emergency services were called which lead to the rescue of a guest. “The said guest was taken to hospital with cuts and bruises and given the all clear by the hospital, returning here soon after. Specialist engineers are already managing the permanent capping process.” Comment now