I find it amazing as well. It would seem that they are more concerned about stabilizing the ground so other houses do not sink, rather than finding the man who went into the hole. I guess they just wrote him off.

Jeff Bush is probably at the very bottom and covered by debris. His body is broken and brown and sunken in the mud. He would have sustained skull fractures from the heavy objects that crashed on top of him and drowned in the first minutes if hypothermia didn't get him. They've been searching for a body all this time.

Remember: in Florida our houses are built on 6" concrete slabs. When Mr Bush fell into the sinkhole, literal tons of concrete debris fell in with him. He is smashed and dead at the bottom of the sinkhole along with unimaginable tons of his ruined home. The concrete floor cracked and fell into the hole. It's tragic that this happened at night when he was in his bedroom. Had this occurred during the day, he would likely have been spared.

Not to be heartless here, but the reason they're not trying to retrieve the body is because the area is too unstable to risk the life of another person. They didn't just "write him off" as you stated above. You also didn't mention this but the body is probably buried beneath 10+ feet (or more) of debris and would be near impossible to collect his body without the sinkhole collapsing in on itself again. Sadly for the family, there are huge risk factors here that will prevent them from recovering their loved one.

There is no way to get close enough to the open hole to get down into it because the hole under the soil is larger then the open hole and house. What is so hard to understand about that? That is why they evacuated the homes on either side of this house, because they may be falling in next.

Nobody is going to risk their life to try and dig in that home, trying to find a dead body. They said the hole is at least 50 feet deep. There is no way to get down into that hole without heavy equipment. When the surface falls into the expanding hole, any workers, the heavy equipment, more soil, and the remainder of the foundation and house, is going to fall into the Earth. Even if the guy was still alive, it would be a suicide mission, and totally unthinkable to attempt if the guy is already dead.

Let the guy rest in peace in the hole. If his body was recovered, they would just bury it six feet under at a cemetery.

Think World Trade Center body retrieval. When buildings crash down it's difficult to find the people upon whom they fell. Does that help?

I'd like to know why they don't use technology to locate these sink holes before they open up. Granted the technology wasn't available 30yrs ago when they built these homes but if they can use sonar (Or whatever) to locate other things under the earth's surface, why not sink holes.

It appears that They are having fun destroying these peoples belongings. Did you see what they did to the family Bible? Why couldn't someone on a rappel rope have gone in there to bring the belongings out in one piece? Instead they ripped it all apart. I really believe the authorities here had a knee jerk reaction and went forward with an uneducated plan. Remember: You can't fix stupid!

Burial has already been made now just have a service and set up the memorial. Done deal. No sense in risking other lives at this point.

As a mother, I am horrified. I keep thinking, "What if he WASN'T dead?". I'm sure his mother thinks the same thing. She really needs to see him even if he has passed away. She would be more at ease in the future. What if a miracle has happened and he is still alive? I pray they will change their minds and will try to go after him. I will be praying for the entire family.

Max^108, wow, really? A man is dead, a family is grieving and you have to equate to politics??? What a pathetic excuse you are!! (and all that clicked in agreement)

to GRAHAM-321772: You're right when you said 'you can't fix stupid', therefore, you are totally unfixable.

bandit-3097615...i am sure there are tons out there with the same name as yours. what about, if you are told, its the wrong bandit in the hole, mentality of an assassinator's wish.

BP - Thanks for spot on post. You would think being a sink hole that caused this to happen everyone would now be realizing that just because you can't see it doesn't mean there isn't more to it underground that could be additional cave ins. Yes crappy spin on the wheel of luck and a rare instance but this is what happened and it will just take some time, if ever, before they are able to get this man's body out. When things like this happen, it is usually a recovery not rescue, especially after 24hrs. Condolences to family but unfortunate as it is, there isn't alot that can be done.

Graham - what are you talking about??? Get a clue. The house has to come down so they have a better understanding and to ensure if any other attempts are made nothing else falls into the hole on top of those who might risk going into it.

trust - think about that, a large crane on unstable soil? Its not as easy as you think. The whole area could be unstable and even though a person is light for a crane still a good reach not to mention what is one person on the end of a rope going to do? Unstable ground at the bottom plus tons of debris and dirt. One person isn't going to find much or be able to move much for that matter, it takes heavy equipment and not possible at this time. There are times when we have to accept the fact of what happened and that the man, regrettably, is dead.

Again condolences to the family and to everyone questioning the authorities or rescue (recovery now) operations please think about it longer and consider just what it is they are dealing with. Not trying to be cold hearted or say give up hope (at least at first) but this is not your ordinary building collapse on solid ground event.

It is time

Unfortunately some bodies cannot be retrieved. This may be one of those cases. Sinkholes are not simple. He is angry because it is very normal after such an awful loss to try and make sense out of it or find a fix. I don't think there is anything left but to remove the debris and try to protect others around it to avoid more lives lost. I suspect that entire neighborhood is going to be inspected and some of the other homes nearest that one may be removed as well. My only question is whether the city paid for this as usually a homeowner is left with the messes. As I understand it this home is his wifes family home so they will make some calls I suspect.

I understand how the guy would feel this way about his brother, but as person with near 40 years construction xp I know the dangers of dirt caving in on someone when its that deep.... The hole will cave in further and its just a matter of time til it happens.... I still can't hardly believe they moved heavy machinery that close to it.... A cow farm that I worked on many years ago had a few sink holes on it and we dropped dead animals into them and then covered them with dirt.... you could fill the hole up and the very next day it had sank 2 more feet.... The sides are dangerous though as they may cave in covering the bottom with tons of dirt.... Yes its sad that this guys brother died and its very unusual that a hole open up under a house.... Your brothers body can be recovered by a mining rescue type crew but even that is dangerous with a sinkhole of this size.... Your best bet is to set a headstone near the hole and just be happy that you got out alive....

My condolences, first of all, to the family. I believe that if this family were prominent, and wealthy, they would be sending in a helicopter, that could suspend several men, to handle the retrieval of the body.

None of the family, cares about the "things" that they are retrieving from the house, a human ilfe, is far more important, than the family Bible, or the China cabinet. Those things can be replaced, but a son, a brother, a Father, an uncle, can never be replaced. This is such a tragic situation and people in the Earthquake, in Haiti, survived for an entire week, and were rescued. Miracles DO happen, and it's just a rotten shame, that they have not figured out another way, to retrieve this poor soul, and give him a proper burial IF he is dead. No one, should give up. People would be doing all they could, if it were a pet that fell into the hole, but this is a HUMAN BEING for crying out loud. Easy for others to "write it off" it's not their loved one, but if it were, those same people who want to write him off for dead, would be screaming loudest. God Bless his Mother, who will never be the same after this....

Strange, but the Aquifers for Zephyrhills water, is only 17 miles from where they live, and all that water drawn out of the Aquifers, could have something to do with the "sink holes" that are so prevalent in that area. That, as well as the mining for Shale? It's not a good idea, to mess with the Earth's core, for money. This is the end result.

So , pvaldes , you want to send living people down into a mud hole , searching for a body that could be a mile away by now,, in mud, where you can't swim, can't breathe, can't propel yourself, , to bring back a body so you can put it back in the ground again.. , you go first..

Thatsthewaylovegoes there are many whose bodies cannot be retrieved no matter the status. Sometimes there is not an easy fix. Sinkholes are a part of Florida and particularly in the Tampa area. Thankfully they have not claimed lives but as we now see, they can. God only knows how deep that sinkhole went - 20 feet or 50 feet it is sure death if anyone gets buried in that amount of sand and heavy objects. An expert said to think of these sinkholes as an hourglass. I live close to that area and it scares me but the reality is this is the first person whose life was lost and he was lost because of the oddity of it being right under his bedroom. I hope his family finds peace and from everything I read no one thinks he could be alive and that is why they are trying to protect other lives of people living all around that sinkhole which is still growing.

Plus, it's Florida, not like the sharpest minds are exactly residing in that state.

trust2112 - ever hear of NASA, as in NASA scientists and engineers. Those at Kennedy Space Center live in Florida, Einstein. As they say, it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth (or post) and remove all doubt.

Remember: in Florida our houses are built on 6" concrete slabs.

Peridot - not all house in Florida are built on concrete slabs. Many homes are built off grade.

I'd like to know why they don't use technology to locate these sink holes before they open up. Granted the technology wasn't available 30yrs ago when they built these homes but if they can use sonar (Or whatever) to locate other things under the earth's surface, why not sink holes.

b-895713 - these sinkholes were not necessarily beginning to form 30 years ago. Many of these that occur nowadays are due to the water table in Florida being drained due to over development and/or drought. That is probably the case here since another sinkhole has developed nearby.

Everyone that thinks they need to recover the poor guys body run on down to Florida and volunteer to hang on a rope and go into an unstable muddy hole of unknown depth and take a look around. You don't seem to mind anyone else possibly sacrificing themselves to recover a body. For practice dig a ten foot deep hole in your yard and fill it with water for a week, pump out most of the water and climb in. Tell us how easy it is.

It may not be possible to rescue this man, but it is possible to have a little class over his sudden and unexpected death. I don't blame his family for being unwilling to accept that he's dead. None of us can know for sure, so all we can do is be grateful that it's not one of our loved ones in that hole. Well, that, and behave the way we'd hope people would respond if it was one of our loved ones.

I watched them when they started the demo on Sunday, the first thing they did was retrieve the American Flag from the house, they Folded it and gave it to the family. Then they very delicately removed some items from the house so they could be saved. Then they took the piece of corner molding with the address off the house and gave it to the family. Then a purse, then a picture of an old couple, The back hoe operator was so skilled and took alot of time to get items to give to the family. Anyone saying they were uncaring doesnt know what they are talking about. they could have just went in and leveled the house in 30 mins. But they took over 3 hours on Sunday to try and get what they could.

Next, the friggin hole is over 60 feet deep, and 30 feet wide, there is no safe way to retrieve a body from it. Lets see all you bashers go in a retrieve it.

And anyone who knows anything about sinkholes, MOST times you cannot predict when or where one will drop out. Florida is full of underground waterways called aquifers, sometimes they dry up and create a void, if that ground becomes too unstable before the water fills the aquifer back up it can sink, causing.... you guessed it a SINKHOLE. They can and do happen overnight.

Before posting on something you know nothing about, TRY and educate yourselves.

It would be bordering on criminal to risk more lives at this point. As for saying the family doesn't care about their "things," they obviously stated which things were of import to them, thus, they knew the china cabinet had particular meaning to the family, as stated in the article. If they can recover a couple of family heirlooms without risking further lives, wonderful. I feel sorry for the family and their terrible loss, but compounding it by having would-be rescuers killed under these impossible circumstances would only leave additional families grieving. Those of you wanting to bring in helicopters and heavy equipment are not understanding the full implications of the situation.

My heart breaks for this family. The cold remarks are harsh, what if that was your family, your house, your memories? I lived in Florida. My family lives in Florida. Lets pray for this mother who just lost her son. And the family? Please weep with those who weep, that is exactly what is commanded in the bible. The other house are in danger and they do not know how deep this cavern is. I pray this does not happen to another family.

#1.11 graham - It appears that They are having fun destroying these peoples belongings. Did you see what they did to the family Bible? Why couldn't someone on a rappel rope have gone in there to bring the belongings out in one piece? Instead they ripped it all apart.

I presume you were not there and had to make under pressure, on-the-spot decisions on what is best for the surrounding community in this situation. You're a fool if you actually believe these are sadistic authorities who are 'having fun' destroying this family's possessions. Your statements are ridiculous.

I feel very badly for this family, they have lost a loved one and their home. Putting your life at risk to try to rescue another person is very noble, but risking your life to retrieve a dead body is not reasonable. I understand they want closure, but it is not worth someone else losing their life.

Iris post #1.14 says, "As a mother, I am horrified. I keep thinking, "What if he WASN'T dead?". I'm sure his mother thinks the same thing. She really needs to see him even if he has passed away. She would be more at ease in the future. What if a miracle has happened and he is still alive?"

Are you freaking nuts? It's a 30 foot wide by 60 foot deep hole. Of course he's dead !!!!! Sinkholes in this area of FL are extremely unstable and dangerous. It would be insane for authorities to try and recover his body in that large of an unstable hole. What's the matter with you and this family? And to think that now they want a crew to go in a save their china cabinet !!!! For gawds sake, only in America !!!!!!!!

First, for those of you that say it was the "wrong Bush" in the hole, you are some sorry-assed individuals. Deplorable. President Bush kept us safe since 9/11, something that Obama has not done. Just ask the survivors of Fort Hood, Benghazi, or even Fast and Furious.

Secondly, they need to stabilize the ground around that house and the hole BEFORE risking sending someone down to try to find his brother. To send someone down there now would be putting that person's life in jeopardy unnecessarily. Even if they do send someone down it would probably be far too risky to dig down to try to find Mr. Bush.

Condolences to this grieving family. This is just something no one would ever expect - not ever. How can anyone start to comfort this family? There just is nothing to say except how sorry for their loss.

For those who are saying any "Bush" should be in that hole, you need to check to see if you are human. No one should ever have to experience something so vile; and it is nothing short of evil to wish something like that on anyone. Those who agree with you - bandit - are just as bad as you - heartless.

Yeah, to those who are saying it was the wrong Bush in the hole, how pathetic-guess it can easily be said that it should have been Obama in there, should be his punishment for the murder of 4 Americans in Libya and a border patrol agent and the drone killings-you stupid @!$%#s. A life was lost here and all you can do is come up with something like that against George Bush who kept this country safe and was a much better President compared to that piece of *!@# in the white house right now. What the hell kind of human beings do you call yourselves!

Obviously family members want to think the most hopeful thing possible. That he is dead is something they might not want to face right now. Who can blame them? This is very tragic and sudden. Common sense dictates that he is dead. People who have lost a loved one are not in the best place to think rationally.

Have you ever been at the bottom of a dog pile? Just five or six bodies and you can't breathe and almost pass out. Or been buried at the beach? Water mixed with sand (or mud even worse) is very heavy. People have even died being buried at the beach. Avalanches, same thing.

The poor dude is dead. It seems the rescue crew is being considerate about getting the belongings that the family cherises. So I guess that should mean something to them, if nothing else.

I wish a sinkhole would open up in Captiol Hill. I might just dance on that grave. But, that is another story.

Sorry for the family's loss.

What a horror for them and the neighbors.

To those that want retrieval I can surely understand that emotion but if you have ever been on a CONTROLLED excavation the trenches must have a sloped wall as much as 2 times the depth of the dig for safety. If even a small amount of debris falls in and strikes someone it can easily kill them. even if they are hanging the weight of the debris would hold them down and they would be torn apart on an attempt to lift them out. Sad but true.

#1.14 Iris - As a mother, I am horrified. I keep thinking, 'What if he WASN'T dead?'. I'm sure his mother thinks the same thing. She really needs to see him even if he has passed away. She would be more at ease in the future. What if a miracle has happened and he is still alive?

Honey, allow me to explain that the possibility of his being alive, sixty feet underground, with no oxygen, for five days, only happens in the movies - which aren't real, by the way.

tom-2308751 - applause applause applause. Thank you for making sense when these armchair geologists are busy whipping up their mob mentality.

Just now on the local news they showed that back hoe operator retreiving Mr. Bush's jacket from a hook on the wall for the family. Uncaring? I think not. Everyone is horrified by what this family is going through, but they have to make the best decisions for all concerned. Sure, if it was my son I'd be raising holy hell wanting them to go in and find him. I'm sure I'd be demanding that they dangle me from a rope into that hole to find him, but I'd also probably be pretty much out of my mind with grief. How does a family process something like this? It must seen the worst kind of nightmare and I think it goes without saying that they aren't in any condition to make the most rational decisions at this time. There are two other homes at risk right now. The authorities MUST make the best decision for everyone concerned and have been working non-stop since this tragedy first happened... working with experts, people who actually know what the heck their talking about.

So what you (and the guy's brother apparently) are saying, is to forget about stabilizing the area and just send a bunch of rescuers in to risk their lives for a guy who is most-likely dead, while also leaving the surrounding homes vulnerable? Yeah, reminds me of the Crandall Canyon mining incident 5-6 years ago. Six miners trapped after a collapse, three rescuers killed after another collapse ten days later...at what point do you stop risking more lives?

"That's" in post 1.22 wrote in part: "Strange, but the Aquifers for Zephyrhills water, is only 17 miles from where they live, and all that water drawn out of the Aquifers, could have something to do with the "sink holes" that are so prevalent in that area. That, as well as the mining for Shale? It's not a good idea, to mess with the Earth's core, for money. This is the end result."

I've read Florida's riddled with all sorts of limestone caves. Blasted gophers....Sink holes are nasty critters.

Gees, the creeps that come out every day here! The guy was buried so deep the brother couldn't get to him minutes after the first fall. And more dirt and the house have been sliding into the hole for days. The hole is maybe 60 feet deep (with 10-20-30 feet of dirt and concrete debris on top) and still slipping. And, you creeps fault the authorities for not sending more people in to die trying to locate the body? What a bunch of ignoramouses!

And, for you lunkheads commenting about "the wrong Bush", you are as hateful and pathetic as the as the right wing lunatics who want to blame all their problems, and the problems of the world, on President Obama. Pathetic and disgusting!

This is a tragedy, with not a single aspect of humor, or political significance!

The guy's brother is in deep grief. What excuse do you trolls have?

Risking further lives to recover a body is senseless and the authorities are doing exactly the right thing. This is a case of a grief stricken family asking for what is realistically not possible.

In a perfect world they would scurry down there and save him, but this isn't a perfect world. How is it that certain people can't understand how dangerous this is for crews working on the area? Would you really want someone else to die in the rubble just so they can retrieve a corpse? It's tragic, but you aren't thinking straight if you think they should risk life and limb just to give the guy a proper burial. I'd expect this from his family, and I feel for them, but I don't understand why some perfect strangers are so oblivious to reality.

big ed - You are so right on every point. Thanks for the voice of reason and compassion.

Bandit, YOU are an idiot. Classless piece of crap.

Big Ed you are totally correct sir.

MARK S-971793

i am sure they will fill that sinkhole with taxpayers dollars like all the other sinkholes !!!

================================================

...........or............they could fill it with people like you, all that angry hot air would keep it from collapsing any more than it already has.

Big Ed...Amen! I voted for W. Bush in 2000, after 1 year was sorry, supported McCain in the 2004 primary. However, irrespective of my disappointment in Bush, I find some of these comments here to be extremely ignorant.

Big Ed-you hit the nail right on the head with your comment. Kudos to you.

Big Ed...it's the work of giant gophers...can you dig it...Man...

As a parent I can see where Iris is coming from with her post (#1.14) you can't help but think what if....even though in the back of your mind you know there is no way they are still alive.

I know what she is talking about. Any one remember Shannon or Sharron Smith? The stupid woman that said someone carjacked her and her kids were in the car? turned out she pushed the car in the lake with the kids strapped in to their seats, she said while the car was sinking the oldest turned around crying saying "mommy the water is coming in,mommy! mommy!" I had nightmares about my kids going on a trip with their grandma and grandpa simply because I would not be there for them if they were hurt and wanting mommy.

So yes as a parent the thought that he may still be alive and needs help would be terrifying.

Would I want someone to risk their lives ? No not in the least bit.

Sinkholes....yet another reason why not to move to florida...

Most of these responses are exactly the reason people have problems with Liberals. You are not reasonable. You are emotional and your responses prove the point. A sinkhole is very dangerous and very unstable. There is nothing they can about retrieving the body until the area is made safe. For all of you criticizing the recovery effort how about you go put your big boy or big girl pants on, head to FL and take over the effort. By all means head down into the hole yourself. I wish you good luck.

I am sure sinkholes will be the next thing on the to ban list.

I think the majority of people are forgetting the risk of sink holes in general. They are dangerously unstable. Is it really worth the risk of another person to find and retrieve a body? Think about it. They evacuated people from a couple of surrounding homes out of fear that the ground is unstable. Having that heavy equipment on the ground is also a risk though with some distance. There are a couple of purposes for demolishing the home...1) is to avoid the lure of someone going into the home knowing there is a risk for the hole to grow; 2) to get a better assessment of the land surrounding the existing sink hole.

And when it comes to material things regardless if it is a family heirloom or photos...there is nothing more important than life itself. Saving material things is not worth risking someone else's life. Ask anyone who escaped a devasting fire, hurricane, tornado or flood and they will tell you that life is far more valuable than any material thing. Losing a loved one is such a tragic fashion is always a horrible experience but everyone should be celebrating the lives that were saved. People put too much credance into material possessions. Life is far more precious.

Tom has it right. I live in Florida, maybe 20 miles from there. I have a degree in Interdisciplinary Natural Science, which included courses in Geology. On top of that I am insurance agent, so I am all too familiar with the peril of sinkhole and what is involved when one occurs.

Sinkholes aren't as simple as you guys are making them out to be. First, I will tell you that how they are formed. It's kind of a double-whammy, honestly. This area of Florida has karst topography - think of a limestone sponge with loose clays and soils on top. Water from rain and other sources percolates through the soil and the limestone and forms the Floridan aquifer (which Zephyrhills water does use as one of its sources, though their operations certainly are not driving the formation of sinkholes in this area with any significance; the growing Tampa Bay area population is another story). The problem is twofold. First, during the rainy season, rainwater percolates through the soil and porous limestone and recharges the acquifer, which is a good thing. However, as the water makes its way down, it ends up dissolving some of the limestone, which over time creates weakness in the rock and even extensive underground caverns. Obviously, all that is needed at this point to make a sinkhole is the collapse of the overlying ground cover. The second part of the sinkhole problem is that during the dry season the Floridan aquifer is depleted. When full the aquifer actually adds support for the overlying strata. As the water level drops, the support goes with it and those areas of weakness in the limestone that were formed during the rainy season collapse along with whatever is above. This is what happened in this instance. So, it is a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. For more sinkhole info, here is a pretty comprehensive discussion:

As far as sending in rescue, unfortunately that is a bad idea. Sinkholes are not stable and are very dangerous. I kind of view them as being like a huge ant lion pit. If you don't know what an ant lion is, it is an insect that buries itself in loose sand and then creates a conical depression in the sand above. Unlucky ants that happen to fall in have great difficulty getting out and end up in the jaws of the ant lion. Basically, in this case rescuer would be the ant. For another angle, I encourage you to google "construction trench collapse" and see how those often end up for the person in the trench - and those are in relatively controlled environments on a much smaller scale than a sinkhole.

As I mentioned, I am an insurance agent in the area of this sinkhole. I can tell you firsthand that stabilizing a sinkhole takes a lot of science, material, time, and money. It is not unusual for minor sinkhole damage (cracked tiles, stairstep cracks in walls, etc) to exceed $60K, most of which is allocated to stabilizing the soil. Stabilization involves grouting the affected area by strategically injecting yards and yards of concrete below ground. An engineer then needs to test the stability and sign off that the area is sufficiently remediated. And that is still no guarantee that the sinkhole will not return.

Sinkholes have been such a problem (mostly because of abuse of the coverage by certain attorney types) that the legislature had to enact reforms. Instead of statutorily requiring insurers to provide sinkhole, they now require them to provide Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse, which requires there to be a visible depression in the ground that affects the dwelling, causing the dwelling to be unlivable and subsequently condemned by the authorities. By doing that, the cracked tile-type claims can no longer be made unless the person purchased sinkhole coverage for an additional premium. I am sure some of you think that this is the insurer screwing the little guy, but it is for the better as now people in areas and counties (Pasco and Hernando) that were once insurance wastelands can now get coverage from companies other than the state insurer of last resort, Citizens.

So to all those armchair rescuers and engineers, do yourself and those around you a favor and, before posting, think to yourself 'Why is this so?' and make an effort to answer that question (Google makes it much easier than in years past) before eviscerating those whose lives are on the line. When I was younger my best friend's dad gave me a priceless piece of advice that I carry to this day: I before E - Intelligence before Emotion. Try it sometime! ;)

Looks like my comment yesterday finally posted... Since I am not sure how to delete the comment in its entirety here it is again with a couple of additions. :)

Tom has it right. I live in Florida, maybe 20 miles from there. I have a degree in Interdisciplinary Natural Science, which included courses in Geology. On top of that I am insurance agent, so I am all too familiar with the peril of sinkhole and what is involved when one occurs.

Sinkholes aren't as simple as you guys are making them out to be. First, I will tell you that how they are formed. It's kind of a double-whammy, honestly. This area of Florida has karst topography - think of a limestone sponge with loose clays and soils on top. Water from rain and other sources percolates through the soil and the limestone and forms the Floridan aquifer (which Zephyrhills water does use as one of its sources, though their operations certainly are not driving the formation of sinkholes in this area with any significance; the growing Tampa Bay area population is another story). The problem is twofold. First, during the rainy season, rainwater percolates through the soil and porous limestone and recharges the aquifer, which is a good thing. However, as the water makes its way down, it ends up dissolving some of the limestone, which over time creates weakness in the rock and even extensive underground caverns. Obviously, all that is needed at this point to make a sinkhole is the collapse of the overlying ground cover. The second part of the sinkhole problem is that during the dry season the Floridan aquifer is depleted. When full the aquifer actually adds support for the overlying strata. As the water level drops, the support
goes with it and those areas of weakness in the limestone that were formed during the rainy season collapse along with whatever is above. This is what happened in this instance. So, it is a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. For more sinkhole info, here is a pretty comprehensive discussion:

As far as sending in rescue, unfortunately that is a bad idea. Sinkholes are not stable and are very dangerous. I kind of view them as being like a huge ant lion pit. If you don't know what an ant lion is, it is an insect that buries itself in loose sand and then creates a conical depression in the sand above. Unlucky ants that happen to fall in have great difficulty getting out and end up in the jaws of the ant lion. Basically, in this case rescuer would be the ant. For another angle, I encourage you to google "construction trench
collapse" and see how those often end up for the person in the trench - and those are in relatively controlled environments on a much smaller scale than a sinkhole and heavy machinery is generally at the ready.

As I mentioned, I am an insurance agent in the area of this sinkhole. I can tell you firsthand that stabilizing a sinkhole takes a lot of science, material, time, and money. It is not unusual for minor sinkhole damage (cracked tiles, stairstep cracks in walls, etc) to exceed $60K, most of which is allocated to
stabilizing the soil. Stabilization involves grouting the affected area by strategically injecting yards and yards of concrete below ground. An engineer then needs to test the stability and sign off that the area is sufficiently remediated. And that is still no guarantee that the sinkhole will not return. Sinkholes have been such a problem (mostly because of abuse of the coverage by certain attorney types) that the legislature had to enact reforms. Instead of statutorily requiring insurers to provide sinkhole, they now require them to provide Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse, which requires there to be a visible depression in the ground that affects the dwelling, causing the dwelling to be unlivable and subsequently condemned by the authorities. By doing that, the cracked tile-type claims can no longer be made unless the person purchased sinkhole coverage for an additional premium. I am sure some of you think that this is the insurer screwing the little guy, but it is for the better as now people in areas and counties (Pasco and Hernando) that were once insurance wastelands can now get coverage from companies other than the state insurer of last resort, Citizens.

So my thoughts and prayers go out to the family. And to all those armchair rescuers and geotechnical engineers, do yourself and those around you a favor and, before posting, think to yourself 'Why is this so?' and make an effort to answer that question (Google makes it much easier than in years past) before eviscerating those whose lives are on the line. When I was younger my best friend's dad gave me a priceless piece of advice that I carry to this day: I before E - Intelligence before Emotion. Try it sometime! ;)

The reason they say they can't is because it is like swiss cheese under there, going from 1 hole to another underground. I can't even begin to nor would I want to imagine the pain they are going through and on top of it not even having a body to bury, I think before the authorities give up on finding his body, they should at least remove the house 1st and THEN after they have a chance to actually see the hole, then think about finding his body. I find it hard to believe that there is not a piece of equipment they can use to see if they can't detect him. What if the reason he hasn't made a noise is cause he is knocked out but still alive?

The hole is filled with stuff, while the sides including under it are all possibly unstable. How heavy do think equipment to remove tons of dirt and a house is? Think of a large jar. Put in some golf balls, some marbles, some pet food, a thumbtack, and a whole lot of salt. Now try to find the thumbtack. Watch how much of the other items you move trying to find the thumbtack.

David, I think the problem is that the only equipment that can detect those things are either seismic or sound waves to being with. Or you drill small holes to lower a mic. If he can't make a sound, he would be indistinguishable from surrounding items.

Perhaps you lack knowledge of Florida home construction. We build our houses on 6 inch concrete slabs. All the flooring would have broken up and fallen into the sinkhole, much of it on top of Jeff Bush as the house collapsed. There's little likelihood that he could have survived the injuries that come when chunks of concrete fall 60 feet down on a person. Add to the the walls and the roof as well as the furnishings, and Mr Bush's chance of survival is nil. At the bottom of sinkholes is mud deep enough to drown and that's the kindest death.

He probably didn't survive the fall. Think about the World Trade Center. Heavy chunks of concrete falling on top of him along with dirt caving in from the sides of the sinkhole. They may never find his body. If he were still alive, they could hear him breathing with their equipment.

Java Gal-5866239

Still can't understand why they can't somehow go in and get the body out.......guess we'll have to see the hole to get a better understanding why they can get a bulldozer's bucket to demolish a house, but not to scoop any dirt, "etc." out of the hole.

Are you proposing they stick the bucket of the long arm excavator down into the hole and start fishing for his body?

What do you think this is some crane claw game?

Do you understand what would happen to his body if they started blindly digging in that hole? IF they were able to find his body it would most likely come out in pieces.

Or they can send a few people down the hole to dig by hand. Any volunteers?

Java - kingcabo is right on the money. He would come out in pieces, think about what these machines can dig thru then compare that material to a body?? Plus the house was much easier to get to than getting down into that hole from that distance. There is a reason they used an excavator with such a long reach; to stay back as far as they could.

You're one of them low information thinkers aren't you Java Gal.

Those scoops don't go down 50-60'.

Still can't understand why they can't somehow go in and get the body out.......guess we'll have to see the hole to get a better understanding why they can get a bulldozer's bucket to demolish a house, but not to scoop any dirt, "etc." out of the hole.

bulldozer's bucket????? What is that? Yeah drive a bulldozer up to the edge and see what happens. Even with an demo (long reach) excavator they could not reach the bottom of the hole. I know maybe he is clinging to a root on the edge of the hole. Do you realize to even get into the hole with a bucket the machine would need to be on the edge of the hole. What do you think would happen with a 50 ton machine on the edge of that hole. If they tried it then maybe they could get a bunch of baristas to fish out the excavator, another victim or more and the original one.

You are right on Rex

You're one of them low information thinkers aren't you Java Gal.

My condolences to the family as I know how they may feel. It sucks, but sometimes the risk is more than the reward of retrieving a body.

JavaGal, if you read all the explanations you'd understand the problems. Since you haven't done, here's the short list:

1. The ground around the sinkhole is unstable, too unstable for equipment to search for a body.
2. The first thing they did was to search for life using cameras and listening equipment. There were no signs that Mr Bush had survived. Is it right to risk more lives to find a body?
3. Are you familiar with the damage done to the remains by the fall of the World Trade Center Towers? Jeff Bush's body has fallen into an expanding sink hole with tons of concrete smashing his remains. His body is at the bottom of a muddy hole with sand and debris hiding him. His mortal remains may or may not be located at the end of the search.
4. This is a tragic situation. Most of us feel very strongly for the Bush family. We wish there was something we could do to make this better for them. The only thing we can do is to explain it to those who don't understand what's going on with the geology and the environment as best we can without insulting anyone or derailing the thread.
5. Any volunteers who would enter the hole would be taking their lives into their hands. It will be some time until the geology of the sinkhole stabilises.

Ever heard of the word "shoring"? Do you know that you can die in a 4' deep trench if the sides cave in? Now imagine 60' caving in on you.. Its so much more dangerous than most people understand.

It's tragic but even if there was a remote way to retrieve his body the heavy equipment operators would be risking their lives.I understand the surviving brothers anguish but his brother is gone.There was no way to save this man.His brother is in immeasurable emotional pain.I am hoping that somebody will get him to a doctor for some temporary anxiety relief and a psychologist for grief counseling.

He probably didn't survive the fall.

Of course he did, you fool. After he fell in he was calling for his brother to help him. He may have gotten covered up in a subsequent collapse and then died. There is a very slim chance he just got knocked out and is still alive. If he continued down 60 feet, I doubt he survived with all the sand and stone falling in around him. If I was his brother, I would want to rappel down a rope (I have experience in doing this) and try to find him. The only thing that could stop me would be my mother or the authorities. Tragic story.

Oh, wow....since when do bulldozers have buckets? Bulldozers are those big tractors with metal plates like a snowplow. You don't want one of those anywhere near unstable ground.

I truly hope they can stabilize the hole and attempt to recover Mr. Bush's body.

I understand everyone's comments about how dangerous this sink hole is. But I think it would be tragic to Mr. Bush's family if they just filled it in on top of him.

At least send a guy down on crane line. There's already a crane parked in the street, so remove that crane and bring in another one that can drop a line down 60 feet. Attempt to locate the body. If the body is recoverable, shore up the hole and try to recover the body. It's the right thing to do for the family.

Once you've made the attempt, if it's an impossible task... at least you can tell the family you tried.

Harold - there is no crane on site. Only a long arm excavator. And that is the problem, lowering a person in will do what? How much material would a person be able to remove? Little to none. They can hover over the site with little camera drones ect and see if the body is within reach, which it is not as they have scanned the hole already. Spending time and resources, risking lives, to uncover a dead body that who knows how deep it is in a situation where digging out the material is not an option, nor is it part of trying to stabilize the whole site. It is very sad and unfortunate but there is just no reason to go for the body at this point. I know it is easy for me to say this but just assume this is that man's grave now, not saying the situation doesn't suck but it is reality and is what it is. Now is time to move on and also ignore the media hype and drama.

Simplest explanation I can thing of: Go to a beach and try to dig a hole in dry sand... sand keeps collapsing in. Or pour sand into a large funnel and drop a small object onto that sand... watch the object disappear under the sand as it goes through the most narrow part of the funnel. The object would then be covered completely as sand dumped out the other end into a jar.

Everything in the bedroom went down the hole and most of it on top of Mr. Bush because he went down with the bed which was over the center of the hole and all the other objects were located more peripherally around the room and would have entered the sink hole after Mr. Bush. Unfortunately he is dead and has been dead. He died about 6 minutes after the sand covered his head (mouth and nose) and the pressure exerted against his entire body (lungs and throat.) It's horrible and terribly sad but there will be no rescue and retrieval of the body is a fool's mission. The family is having trouble accepting this which is very understandable but spectators should have more sense and some, more compassion.

Because there are several hundred cubic yards if not more potentially sitting on top of him. If the ground gave out and or was in a more liquid state when he went in, not to mention the debris from house and elsewhere, hard telling where he is and until they can get heavy equipment safely there and person is only going to do so much. I know we all want to save him but can't stumble head first into the situation with out looking at the facts. By this point he is gone, but chances are very good that he died quickly, and I hope so for his sake to limit his suffering. Events like these are not ones that result in days worth of search and rescue. The cut off time is short and are usually just a recovery mission, if that lucky.

ummmm because they most likely do not know how stable the ground is around the hole. Seriously, its common sense that you do not put other people in danger like that. From the information that I filter out of this article from the tear jerking ratings grabbing crap, the people fell down 60 feet with parts of the house. If they do something stupid without having a clear picture of the stability of the ground and the right equipment, other parts of the neighborhood could windup down the hole as well. Stuff like cable, water, power and gas lines fall into that mix then you're in for one serious <bleep>-storm.

nerdman - are you just brain dead? What part of 60 feet deep don't you comprehend? Do you know anything about the geological nature of these sinkholes in this area of FL? Obviously you so not. Gawd, idiots like you shouldn't be allowed to suck up valuable oxygen.

Does anybody really want to go there nerdman22, wake up!

Nerd

Ok look at it this way the sinkhole is 60 feet deep. A three story building is 30 foot tall.(each story is about 10 feet tall) so look at a building that is 6 stories tall,60 feet. That is why they can not get to the body. If you are not sure how deep that is just by looking, find a 6 story building, go on the roof and look down.

nerdman22, you don't understand because you haven't read some of the very good comments here, made by many people, explaining the answer to your question. Either that, or you're another person trying to make a joke? It's very hard for people who think clearly to understand why you don't understand.

Human - easier said then done and the cranes like what you say either need the building structure to support them or the tower cranes that stand on their own need a large concrete foundation to support them. Not to be rude but stop and think this thru a little bit then you will realize what is going on here. Besides at this point, he is dead, sad to say, but that is what it is and no point risking others to get the body, not to be cold hearted, but its the truth.

You don't risk the living to retrieve the dead. He is covered with concrete, dirt, debri. What until you are in a huge disaster. Not everyone can be saved, not everyone is first to have electricity, the more natural or man made disasters that occur the more people need to undertstand that humans are not in control of everything.

My sympathies to the family

Maybe you need to volunteer Human...

Even IF there was a magic crane that could get down 60 feet (and NO, there is no such piece of equipment that can do that), you have to remember that he fell with the concrete slap going top of him plus tons of mud and dirt. His body is destroyed way under the 60 feet of open hole. Digging around they would destroy further any pieces of body they might get at.

Let the man RIP where he is.

You are all cowards, you do send the living in to at least try and save.And JAC how do you know what kind of condition the man that presumably died bodies shape is in.His brother said after it happened he heard his brother so he wasn't torn into to many pieces at that time .A long rope a back board and someone with a backbone is what was needed......If it was your family tell me you wouldn't try!!!!

At first I was asking the same question, people keep saying all this stuff is on top of him, and I was questioning how? since he was on TOP of the concrete slab and everything else, my husband explained it perfectly so that I now understand it.

Take a hourglass turn it over, the very center drops down, then everything on the sides starts to collapse on top of it.

They're not going to find this man's body, and as horrible as I feel for the family, it's not worth sending someone else down there to look.

onlytruecomment- I understand where you're coming from, but me personally no I wouldn't. I wouldn't want another family to feel this loss.

only - you are more than welcome to give it a try. No one here is a coward, only looking objectively at the situation and facing reality. This man is dead. Yes if we could hear/see him and/or it was immediately following the event, might be worth a try, something like you said.

Otherwise their is no point and if he is remotely buried the amount of digging a person could do, not to mention in that environment, is going to be limited and ineffective. People die on the beach from cave ins while sitting in shallow hand dug holes only 3-4 ft deep.

The weight is amazing and this is a hole that is 60+ feet deep with all kinds of debris and earth. It was only a few moments that he may have been in a position to be found, but as the sinkhole continued to open up, that was all she wrote.

Stop and think about this for a minute and then comment before just calling everyone a coward. No reason to have more die to get a body. He is already buried. We all feel for the family and understand their frustration but they also have to grab reality at some point and realize he is gone. This isn't a movie where they repel down and find the man eating food from his refrigerator that fell down next to him.

Like I said in other posts, this amount of time past 4-5 days, no chance, if not in the first 24hrs, he is dead. The family will have to move on and be thankful for what the authorities have done and the already apparent risks made in trying to save some things from the house. The media meanwhile needs to stop with the drama and report facts, something we know they no longer know how to do.

Sad as it is this is a freak accident and sinkholes happen all the time in Florida, just part of the geology, though sometimes it is because the water table was artificially lowered from being overused. And no, thankfully, no body to sue this time but I would doubt there are lawyers looking for some angle, perhaps on what I said above but that is America these days, everyone owes you something for nothing.

We have a winner. Sabine, you are correct. Any digging at the bottom will likely cause more collapse. Have you ever dug a deep hole in the sand? At some point the sand slides in from the sides as fast as you can dig it out. That is what is happening here.

Yes, it must be very painful to not have recovered the body. But the risk to someone else trying to retrieve the body is not worth it.

Hummmmmmmmm ...

Just think about what occurred .... This man was drawn into the sinkhole as it was collapsing .... The probability is that as it opened up beneath the concrete slab it took a while to fail and collapse .. he falls into the void as the floor collapses over and around him ... he's probably under at least five to ten feet of sand & rubble.

I wonder if the sinkhole had been opening up under the floor for awhile .... and culminated with the collapse of the floor when it no longer could carry the weight over the span of the hole ... a good reason to use steel reinforced slabs in Florida ... if the slab had been heavily reinforced ... it wouldn't have happened this way ...

It's 7.3 before a post remotely knowledgeable about Florida home construction shows up. It's not likely that there was a void beneath the house for a while. Sinkholes are fast-moving and catastrophic, like earthquakes. When they open up they don't happen slowly,

Our Florida concrete slab floors are heavily reinforced with steel rebar and steel mesh. How strong should they be? Over time foundations settle and we get settling cracks in our floors. I have one in one of my bathrooms. My house was built in 1979. Do I have a sinkhole? Not so far.

Did the Bush family's house slab crack? Did the Bush family ignore any foundation cracks? There's no information, so speculation is useless at this point. We must wait until these questions are answered.

No rebar is going to withstand the dead weight of all the concrete it's inside of. It all sheared when the foundation no longer had any support. I'm betting the foundation only had steel mesh in the foundation, rather then actual rebar.

If it was built to current construction code it contained both mesh and rebar. Then again, it was a home in Seffner so who can say?

Not so true on rebar and concrete holding the weight of itself. It is true that the floor of the house would not hold the weight though. I was thinking the same as moonbeam. This hole could have opened up a while ago and then bam the concrete finally let go. Sink holes do not always just open up fast, sometimes it starts as a slump then it opens up over time. Chances are when this house was built they just used mesh if they even used that. Codes were pretty lax 40 and 50 years ago. Also it's no like anyone tested this concrete when it was poured. It may have been hot out so they added more water or some retarder which would weaken it. I also sure they did not do a slump test on the crete before being poured. Things have changed, I bet this house does not even have hurricane straps holding on those massive(not) 2x4 trusses...again lack of knowledge and codes or enforcement back then

Peridot, there is a reason most house down south don't have basements, it is due to cost. They build the houses as cheap as they can and basements add to the costs

Umm, in this part of FL they don't put in basements because the water table is too high.

Had this structure been built to current day codes, with a well reenforced steel floating or rafted slab ... this man wouldn't be dead ...

I would like to see the photos of the remaining edge of the broken concrete slab ... to determine why it failed.... those were the days of contractors adding extra sand in concrete to save money .. leaving it with little value .. I hope they do test on the concrete ...

That portion of Florida has both fast and slow moving sinkholes .. .. and the thickness of the concrete wouldn't matter ..correctly reinforced 4" slabs in single story construction would be satisfactory ...

@jac-931625 it is very very very rare for a house here in florida to have a basement due to the fact that the water table is so high and for the fact that if you dig deep enough you will hit water.

Yes gagirl, I know that. That's what I said in my post. Perhaps you meant to respond to fishman???

If that home was built in the 1960's, 70's, 80's. Well this is Florida. the old coastline runs down the western center of the state. Ever notice the hump in Florida as you travel from east to west?

O.k. Now that we know it used to be an ocean there it's time to consider the salt. That stuff eats everything steel no matter how well it gets sealed, even in Concrete. The chances that there would have been any steel of integrity inside that concrete slab is very slim. Next consider the reverse osmosis that makes the drinking water. The Smell is that of Sulfur Hydroxide which is so corrosive as a gas that it eats copper. You know that black oxidation on anything copper there. Ding Ding... Even the copper has cancer in Florida.

I feel terrible for this family. My best friend was lost at sea off the east coast in Fla between St. Lucie inlet and Ft. Pierce. They never found he or his brothers bodies. I was with his family. I know what this feels like. His daughters are like my daughters. Thats what this is about. The unknowing rips us apart. If we had just done 1 thing different none of these tragedies would have happened. I wouldn't have lost my best friend if I had told him his boat wasn't ready for 10 miles out or if I had simply said Please wear your Life preserver. Alittle different for this brother, he was helpless, but he still offered his life by getting in there and that was all he could do. I'm very sorry for your loss sir... Time will allow you to let this go and you'll have a place at least to go talk to your brother. All his family and I can do is go to the ocean and hope the wind carries our voices over the surf.

Umm, in this part of FL they don't put in basements because the water table is too high.

Umm What part of Florida whould this part be? The part in the story or the part where you live? There are plenty of parts of FL where the water table is low enough and actually est of Tampa has a low table. I know as my cousin lives there and yes we built her house with a basement. Water can be a reason but in the south it is usually due to cost. It baffles me that folks in the hurricane belt don't build basements as it could save your life. I convinced my friend in TX that he needed a basement when building. He built it and when he sold his home he got around 30% more than the surrounding homes without. My cousin sold her house for more than 3 times the building cost and got more than her asking price. Basements can be done if you are willing to invest

then the family can counterbill for all there personal belongings ,the actual house as well as the scrap value from all the copper pipes ,we all know thats not going to the dump ,but home in one of the contractors vehicles

I live in Florida and I believe our great Guvner Scott will indeed send them a bill. He will slip it in his Sympathy card that he will send them.

I agree with the brother, nothing was done to find him or rescue him. Pathetic !

@MarkS, the house as well as the scrap are in the sinkhole...along with the late Mr Jeff Bush.

Could you possibly exhibit worse taste? I think not.

@Dale, these things are paid for by local city and/or county taxes in the beautiful state of Florida. The state government won't get involved. Unless this unfortunate family have sinkhole insurance, they may now be homeless as well as bereft of their loved one. Your remarks are in poor taste as well.

Unless this unfortunate family have sinkhole insurance, they may now be homeless as well as bereft of their loved one. Your remarks are in poor taste as well.

Can't say if they have the insurance but they may have. The brother had stated that the ins. company was a out a week or so ago checking due to the sink hole insurance. It was in an article or video the ther day. I think it is mandatory to have in some places if you have an financing on the house. I do wish the family well and good luck dealing with the insurance company.

Home insurance or not,the deceased was renting a room in this home for he,his girlfriend and two year old daughter.He was not the home owner.

Peridot-1693859 you seem to know a hell of a lot about this whole situation along with florida. But i will call you out on one thing and that is the whole house WAS NOT in the sinkhole. if it was then there wouldnt be anything to demolish. so you might want to fill that little sinkhole of your own before you post that anymore.

as far as rick scott he probably will bill them and if he does i look for the family to counter react that becasue they can get him for loss of posession untimely death and a few other things

They did. They've used both cameras and listening devices: neither sort have come up with any proof of life. This was attempted immediately. Result: Jeff Bush is probably dead and has been since he first fell into the sinkhole with tons of debris on top of him.

I don't mean to seem harsh but the sinkhole is 60 feet deep and still growing. This is a tragic loss of life but there is no need to risk more lives to retrieve a body. Once the sinkhole is stabilised Mr Bush's body may be recovered. Or not. There are tons of debris, both from the house and dirt that have fallen into the hole. While I hope that the family get his remains back, it's best that no one else die in the recovery.

It's difficult to accept but it's the reality. Remember what happened to the remains of those who were killed when the World Trade Centers fell. Mr Bush's body may be in similar condition.

last I heard on the TV news, the sinkhole was 100 feet deep and possibly getting deeper.

This is just an unforseen tragedy!

They treated this the way they do for earthquakes, like the California Northridge Earthquake in the 90's. They sent down listening divices that can hear a ping, like a sonar on a Submarine. It can pick up the smallest movement or sound. Unfortunately nothing was heard! My heart and prayers for comfort goes out to this entire family, and even more to the brother, who tried unsucessfully to save him.

they have, but for the fact they havent been able to find signs of life and so they called off the search because they didnt want to risk anymore lives then what have already been risked and lost

It was no act of god, it was a geological fault underground, that had a home built on top of it.

When the home was built the ground probably appeared quite solid. Most of Florida is limestone. If it is limestone and water, the water helps to support everything. If too much water is pumped out or the water table drops too much the remaining limestone can collapse or, water can erode the limestone causing it to collapse. This is not a geological fault, in either case.

Firemen and rescuers risk their lives every day to pull people from burning buildings, they crawl into debris from collapsed buildings in Earthquakes. How about what they do when Coal Miners are trapped ? They could at least attempt to dig the body out.

As usual, BP, you got it wrong. The sinkhole is recent. Google it and learn something for once..

BP the grape

It was no act of god, it was a geological fault underground, that had a home built on top of it

Peridot-1693859

As usual, BP, you got it wrong. The sinkhole is recent. Google it and learn something for once..

@Peridot-193859: how about you stop being such an ass. where does it say that it was in the past. perhaps he knows that it is recent. he does have a point tho it COULD have easily been a geological fault under the ground so before insulting everyone else's intelligence, get your ego in check along with your repsonses.

Dale-984815

Firemen and rescuers risk their lives every day to pull people from burning buildings, they crawl into debris from collapsed buildings in Earthquakes. How about what they do when Coal Miners are trapped ? They could at least attempt to dig the body out

@Dale-984815: the sinkhole is at least 60 feet deep and is severly unstable. they are not wanting to risk any more loss of life as there already is.

Peridot, the collapse was recent. The processes leading to the collapse likely necessarily recent; the dissolution of the underlying rock likely had been occurring over some time.

looks like he took the elevator to hell instead of the stairway to heaven !

yes... there is a...stairway to heaven...it still rocks...you tube it ...get the 'Led' out...

Someone should sue you for being so damn sue happy

They made every effort possible to recover his body. Why can't people understand that? They are doing their best to recover the families valuables, because they can within reasonable risk.

I can't imagine the pain the family is going through to lose someone like this. I have a feeling Jeremy is making a lot of noise because he tried his best to save his brother but couldn't do anything for him. I hate to think it, but I bet there are lawyers already chomping at the bit to represent Jeremy in the wrongful death of his brother...so sad to make a situation worst.

They made NO EFFORT whatsoever. Fail.

Most of the valuables didn't fall into the hole and get buried. However, I do believe they should by now be lowering someone into the hole from a helicopter or crane to get a more accurate perspective on the situation.

Are you going to pay for the crane or heliocopter?

Yeah lets just lower someone into an unstable sink hole with the ground shaking pulse of a helicopter and see who else we can not recover next. Better yet how about you volunteer?

@JT Who do you think the Bush family will sue? God? The aquifer? Climate Change for causing the drought? Each other? LOL. How amusing.

There is no one to sue. The Universe does not respond to subpoenas.

@Jusaskin Cameras and listening devices were used by the first responders. There were no signs of life. Your ignorance of this fact does not mean it did not occur.

@Peridot My point exactly...there is nobody at fault to sue and from what I can see everyone did as much as they could within reasonable risk. BUT Jeremy Bush is saying that nobody did enough to "save" his brother. Look at how many people making comments here are asking why they are doing more to save thing and not saving Jeremy's brother. Sooooo some lawyer will be right by Jeremy's side saying they can sue the world for this unfortunate accident. If you actually read and understood what I wrote, you will see I am voicing my disgust of sue-happy lawyers...not saying that they have a case to make.

Your ignorance of this fact...makes you just plain ignorant. LOL

Lol! That's a line from the first Predator movie. "She said...the jungle...it just came alive and took him!"

Are you volunteering for that mission, cupcake? That's sounds absolutely ridiculous.

I'm going to go out on a hopeful limb and suggest that the "they" and the helicopter comment were intended to come off as saracasm.

to all of you folks advocating sending some one in there on a tether. I DONT SEE ANYONE OF YOU GOING DOWN THERE TO VOLENTER YOUR LIFE.

PLEASE PEOPLE BE REAL AND SEND CONDOLENSE AND ANY HELP YHAT CAN BE GIVEN TO THE LIVING

jusaskin, are "they" not humans with lives and families too? Or do you assume "they" are expendable or superheros?

Willis, you are defiantly the bright one.

Are you volunteering for that mission, cupcake? That's sounds absolutely ridiculous.

I know, I know. They can just dig down from the side a little deeper than he is and just catch him, Yeah that will work lol

It's like people think the man just fell in a hole. While that is true, he fell into a 60' deep hole, then tons of soil, rock, and debris fell on top of him. And now the sides are sliding in on top as the hole grows wider. It's just not a case of going down and grabbing the body.

Willis,I am not the brightest bulb in the dimly lit string here, but have you ever felt the vibrations from a hovering helicopter. That would certainly HELP to stabilize the situation.....lights out.

Baja5B, when they rescued his brother, the sinkhole was only 20 feet deep. At last report it was nearly 100 feet deep. So, to your point, all the displacement from the sinkhole is on top of this poor soul and it may well be flushed out into water filled limestone cavern far below the surface.

May his soul rest in peace.

This so sad. But very pleased there are individuals on this Board explaining how and why this happened, educating us, because I was very curious about the WHYS!

Thank U, Thatsthewaylovegoes, and a couple more, just don't remember you Id's, for the Insight & Education!

Sorry Willis, this family is not important, nor wealthy enough! If it was one of the wealthy ex-Presidents, they would have called out the Navy Seals, the Marines, or anyone with EXPERTISE in sinkholes, and the body would have been recovered!

Why couldn't they use a helicopter, lowering someone down as far as they could go to see if there was any hope of retrieving the body!

We know for sure, if it had been one of the wealthy Bush's, they would still be digging, and AT THE TAXPAYER'S EXPENSE!

Lower someone from a helicopter? It's an unstable hole full of earth and debris, not a mine shaft. Vibrations from a helicopter could very likely cause more collapse. It seems heartless, but they have more important things to do than recover the poor guy's body. There are other lives and homes at stake until they get it stabilized. The lost man is already dead, so there's really nothing they can do for him.