It was a normal Thursday work day at Rat Boi, a women’s apparel business at 265 S. Laurel Street in Ventura, when the earth began to move. Rat Boi founder Alexa Coughlin told the Ventura County Reporter she felt something unusual before 11 a.m. on May 29, but figured it had to do with the nearby construction site for a four-story apartment complex.
“We felt like a jolt here. But we kind of feel that all the time because of the construction that’s been going on over there,” said Coughlin, who quickly realized something more serious was unfolding when she also heard shouting.
Several vehicles in a parking area used by a nearby car repair business — along with the very pavement they were sitting on — were sinking toward an enormous hole in the ground at the adjacent construction site. Tron Elliott, owner of Elliott’s Performance, grabbed keys to imperiled vehicles and managed to rescue one as two others sank into the abyss. Two full-sized pickup trucks settled to the bottom of the pit and a small Porsche convertible not associated with Elliott’s Performance ended up perilously perched on the edge with its front end tipped up at a disconcerting angle…