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DAWSON, Ga. (WALB) — Updated Sept. 26, 2025: A driver was hospitalized on Sept. 25 after the pavement beneath his car gave way on Walnut Street, plunging the sedan into a water-filled cavity in the middle of the road. The collapse came days after Dawson residents went public with complaints about crumbling streets, chronic potholes, and persistent water line leaks they say the city has ignored. The driver, who neighbors say has physical disabilities and uses a walker, was rescued through the passenger door and transported to a local hospital; his condition has not been released.
First responders from the Dawson Fire Department, Terrell County sheriff's office, and emergency medical services converged on the residential block after the ground opened up around the vehicle. Dawson's mayor was also on hand. The car's left side had sunk directly into the break, forcing firefighters to remove the driver through the passenger side. After securing him on a stretcher, paramedics took him to a hospital. Officials have declined to release details about his injuries or current status.
A tow truck was later called in to winch the car out of the hole. Neighbors described the cavity as filling quickly with water, suggesting an underground line had ruptured before or during the collapse.
The extraction was complicated by the driver's limited mobility. Residents who watched the rescue said they were relieved to see him conscious, but the incident shook a neighborhood that has long worried about what was happening beneath the street.
The Walnut Street collapse is the most visible sign yet of a problem residents say has been building for years. In the days before the incident, several Dawson residents reached out to WALB News 10 to vent about roads that go unpaved or unrepaired, potholes that return within weeks of being filled, and water leaks that waste thousands of gallons.
"People love coming to our city, but they hate these streets," one resident said ahead of the collapse. "They're increasing our bills, and you don't see where the money is going. The roads are not repaired. Somebody needs to do something about it."
Another resident whose home fronts the damaged block said she regularly warns drivers to slow down for the weak spot in the pavement. She spoke on condition of anonymity, saying she fears retaliation if she is seen as too vocal.
Residents had hoped to make their case at a public budget hearing scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting, however, was canceled at the last minute, leaving frustrated taxpayers with no forum to press officials about street spending.
In a public notice, City Manager Roxie Powell said the budget hearing had to be postponed because Terrell County has not yet completed its countywide property reassessments.
"Because the reassessment has not been finalized, the City does not yet have the updated property valuation information needed to accurately establish its property tax revenue projections for the proposed budget," Powell wrote.
Powell said the hearing will be rescheduled once the county finalizes its tax digest. But residents have questioned why street repairs must wait for a budget document, especially when the cost of an emergency rescue and vehicle recovery may far exceed what routine maintenance would have cost months ago.
The Walnut Street collapse fits a pattern familiar to civil engineers: aging water mains leak for weeks or months, gradually eroding the soil that supports the roadway. When the ground is finally washed out, the asphalt above it collapses under the weight of a vehicle.
The American Society of Civil Engineers' most recent Infrastructure Report Card gives U.S. roads a "D" and drinking-water systems a "C-" grade, highlighting how decades of deferred maintenance have pushed utilities past their intended lifespan. Smaller municipalities, with fewer staff and tighter budgets, are often hit hardest because they lack the engineering capacity to inspect what lies beneath their streets.
Georgia's cities and counties have also pressed the state for more road funding. The Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association have repeatedly asked the General Assembly to expand the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant program, which reimburses local governments for resurfacing projects. Dawson's streets, like those of many small Georgia towns, depend heavily on those grants — and when the money falls short, the backlog grows.
As of this update, city officials had not announced a new date for the budget hearing. WALB has reached out to Powell's office and the mayor's office to ask whether the city has inspected Walnut Street's water and sewer lines, whether any emergency repair funds have been set aside, and when the hearing will be rescheduled. No response had been received.
Residents, meanwhile, say the street remains hazardous. Walnut Street was still open to traffic on the day after the collapse, with only the immediate collapse site barricaded. Neighbors are pressing for a full repair, arguing that a simple patch over the crater would leave the rest of the block vulnerable to another failure. They have also asked the city to check nearby streets for signs of sinking pavement before another driver is caught off guard.
Emergency officials recommend that drivers who feel the pavement sinking stop immediately, exit the vehicle on the side opposite the collapse, and move well away from the hole, since the ground around it may continue to settle. They also urge drivers to call 911 and avoid attempting to drive out of the weakened section, as the added weight can cause a wider failure.
For smaller cities like Dawson, the reminder is practical, not theoretical: a collapse can occur with almost no warning, especially after a period of heavy rain or when a long-neglected water main finally gives out.
For Dawson residents, the crash on Walnut Street is more than a dramatic rescue story; it is a warning about what happens when streets and the pipes beneath them are left to deteriorate. With the budget hearing postponed and no repair timeline announced, the road — and the broader infrastructure of the city — remains a problem in search of a solution.
City leaders have yet to say whether Walnut Street's damage will be treated as an emergency or added to a list of projects competing for limited funds. Residents say they will keep showing up at public meetings, making phone calls, and talking to reporters until the street that nearly swallowed a neighbor is made safe.
