A man on his way back to work got trapped in the street -- literally -- Tuesday when the ground gave way as he passed through a Brooklyn crosswalk, according to the victim's father.

The man was crossing the street near Myrtle Avenue and Walworth Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant shortly before noon when the pavement collapsed around him. The hole didn't appear extremely large -- maybe the size of a softball -- but the man's leg was stuck up to his knee.

The man's father snapped a photo of his son, looking distraught as he knelt, stuck, in the crosswalk.

The dad didn't know exactly how long his son was stuck there, but he said he couldn't get his leg out. Emergency crews had to come extricate him. The man was taken to a hospital; his father said he was complaining of leg and back pain.

The father says the hole wasn't in the pavement before, that it just suddenly emerged as his son walked across the street. Crews were seen repairing the street Tuesday afternoon and Walworth was shut down in the area as they worked.

The city's Department of Transportation said a preliminary investigation of the water mains and sewers in the intersection indicated all were operating properly. The hole will be backfilled with asphalt, the agency said.



The investigation is ongoing.