Man sinks into backyard safety problems

New Haven (WTNH) - A New Haven man fears for his family's safety after getting injured from a sinkhole in his backyard. He has reported the problem and has received no help from the city or his water company.

It's not unusual to have sinkholes in Connecticut because there are lots of wetlands, especially along the shoreline. But that's not what's happening on Robert Vitello's property.

He said a drainage pipe, running behind his property, has destabilized.

Vitello said it started near the basketball hoop.

"We're noticing little sinkholes here and there and then one day, the ground gave out from underneath," he said.

Vitello got some fill and fixed it. But last December, he was walking just behind his property and fell right through the hole.

"Went right down to the ground," he said.

He was taken to the hospital with a hurt knee, injured back and separated shoulder. But, Vitello was walking with his 10-year-old son and said now they can't take any chances especially with his youngest being just a year old.

"No kids back here whatsoever because, again, they could go, not even looking and God forbid, they go down the hole," said Vitello.

The hole is about six-feet deep, leading down to a drainage pipe that's a run-off for all the neighboring streets.

Vitello called the water company, he called the city, but both say it's the other's jurisdiction. The city did send out an insurance adjuster and an engineer. They took pictures, told him to put up caution tape and that was it.

The worst part is they actually told him not to fill it himself because of liability issues.

"I offered to fix it and they told me, don't touch cause if something happens and a kid falls, I'm responsible," Vitello said.

Vitello thinks the old drainage pipe is deteriorating causing his whole backyard to cave in. He can't trust the ground he's walking on and can't get anyone to give him any answers.

"Now I'm just afraid if we have one here and one here, where's the rest of 'em, if there's anymore around here," Vitello said.

The water company News Channel 8 and said they don't believe that's their pipe. But they said they would send out a crew just to be sure. The city also responded and said they are now looking into the matter.