How two Omaha women’s basketball players became first responders when a sinkhole opened

On the drive back from practice Tuesday afternoon, it looked at first like a normal traffic accident.

Two University of Nebraska-Omaha women’s basketball players, Olivia Borsutzki and Esra Kurban, were stopped at a red light, fourth in line, music playing as they headed toward their dorms. Borsutski, who was driving, noticed a driver stepping out of a vehicle in the middle of the intersection.

“At first I thought it was just an accident,” Borsutzki said. “I pulled over because something was wrong.”

Then she saw a man in the road – inside a hole.

Not a pothole. A sinkhole deep enough that two cars had fallen into it.

“I was still in the car and I saw a man in a hole,” she said. “I was like, ‘I need to help.’ Nobody was helping.”

Cars kept driving past. Some people got out and watched. Many pulled out their phones.

So the two teammates opened their doors and ran toward it.

Borsutzki reached the edge first. The driver trapped below was panicking and struggling to climb out.

“I wasn’t really thinking,” she said. “I just knew I needed to help.”

The hole was deeper than it appeared. She couldn’t pull him out alone, so she grabbed a nearby bystander.

“I told him, ‘I need your help – come pull this guy out with me.’”

Together they lifted the driver by his belt and arms and hauled him onto solid ground.

“It was hard to get him out because he was tall and the hole was actually very deep,” she said.

Her teammate, Kurban, followed moments later, still trying to understand what she was seeing.

“I didn’t even know sinkholes existed,” she said. “I was thinking, is it going to fall more?”

Within minutes, both drivers were safely out. One of them was visibly shaken and the players offered to let him sit in their car.

“He was shaking and he was really nervous,” they said. “He didn’t know what was happening.”

What stayed with them afterward wasn’t only the collapse. It was the crowd.

“There were cars driving past and everyone had their cell phones out,” Borsutzki said. “Men and women were just recording. Nobody was helping.”

They initially assumed adults nearby would step in.

“We thought grown men were going to stop and help,” they said. “But no one did. So we left the car.”

Eventually, others assisted, but the first response came from two athletes on their way home from practice.

Later, after calling family members – both players are international students – the danger of the situation set in.

“My dad told me that could have been really bad…,” Borsutzki said. “In the moment it was just adrenaline. We just wanted to help.”

They didn’t immediately tell their coaches. Instead, they sent a photo to their team group chat.

Soon the video spread across social media and news broadcasts, even reaching family overseas before they could fully explain what happened. The video of the incident can be seen below.

WATCH: University of Nebraska-Omaha Public Safety security cameras show the moment two vehicles fell into a sinkhole on Tuesday — and how the drivers were able to get out.

Details: https://t.co/BI8L0WKoUN pic.twitter.com/PAX1Nb3xnX

— First Alert 6 (@WOWT6News) February 25, 2026

Teammates and staff quickly recognized them. Borsutski said her strength coach texted, “Very strong, big dog.”

The next day, they were back with the team for a historic win over Oral Roberts. Basketball resumed quickly. Driving now, though, feels slightly different.

“It could happen to anyone at any time,” they said.