EAST BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A giant sinkhole in the middle of a woman's driveway in Union County is blocking everyone, including the oil company, from getting to her house.
The homeowner doesn't have enough money to fix it and is worried if she doesn't get it repaired before winter, she'll have to find another place to live.
Freddi Carlip is on a fixed income and can't pay for repairs on her own. When friends heard she may have to leave her home because of the sinkhole, they decided it was time to step in and help.
Tucked away beneath the trees just outside of Lewisburg, this farmhouse built in the 1800s has been home to Carlip for more than 30 years.
A 10-foot-deep sinkhole opened up back in April shortly after her pond's drainage system failed.
Jupiter Lane, the name of her private driveway, has been closed ever since.
"We've been having so much rain that it caused the water to gush under the lane, and then that pipe disintegrated, and that caused the sinkhole," Carlip said.
Carlip says since April the sinkhole has grown at least double the size. It has become a safety concern for both her and anyone looking to come to her home.
Carlip is on a fixed income and can't afford to repair the roughly $8,000 project on her own.
With colder weather ahead, she's worried she may have to leave if the lane isn't repaired soon.
"We have tried the state, the conservation district, the township," said Carlip. "Nothing has moved forward other than, 'We'll get back to you,'" Carlip said.
That's why just this week Carlip's friends have stepped in.
A group has started collecting donations online and plan to match the first $3,000 donated.
Carlip tells us a neighbor has already offered to donate the pipe needed for the project.
"I am very blessed to have angels in my life. I think of George Bailey, one of my favorite movies. 'No man is a failure who has friends.' I don't have a lot of money, but I am so blessed to have the friends in my life."
Since Sunday, friends have already helped raise about $1,200.