Teen crashes car into a sinkhole, escapes unscathed

A 16-year-old driver in Minnesota crashed his car up to the rear tires into a sinkhole but, uninjured, was able to climb out of the car's back window, authorities said.

Jaxon Lang, who has owned the car for about a month, told ABC station WCCO that he saw something in the road about 30 yards away, but, "it didn't look too big."

"I thought maybe it was a branch or something," Lang told WCCO. " ... I slammed my brakes and the car just slid into the hole and then hit the other side and then it just, like, fell down."

Lang was spared injury Tuesday because he was wearing a seat belt, Renville County Sheriff Scott Hable said on Facebook.

"This 16-year-old driver was very lucky to have escaped without any injuries thanks in part to his seat belt and air bags," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook.

The vehicle's airbag also deployed, video released by the sheriff's office shows.

Following heavy rainfall, the road washed out around the culvert beneath, according the sheriff's Facebook post.

The extent of the damage to the car was unclear, but the teen was sanguine about the situation in an interview with WCCO.

"It kinda sucks because I don't have a car anymore but [it] could be worse," Lang said.