Car Hits Hydrant On Lombard Street, Causes Flooding On San Francisco's Crooked Tourist Attraction

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San Francisco has never been a city associated with white-water rafting before. But such adventures were briefly possible last Friday, when a car ran over a fire hydrant on Lombard Street, the city's famous zig-zagging tourist attraction.

The accident occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m., when a late-model Buick swerved on the street's top curve to avoid rear-ending the car in front of him, which had suddenly stopped because it's driver decided to take a picture.

The resulting water fountain reached heights of about 15 feet, and it took police and fire officials about 40 minutes to contain the spout. In the meantime, it sent water cascading down the eight-switchback street, which claims to be the most crooked street in the world.

An area resident, Greg Brundage, tells the San Francisco Chronicle, "If you had a raft, you could have ridden down the street."

The car sustained minor damage. The first floor and basement of a home on the street were flooded, and firefighters pumped water from the lower level. A street gardener also was upset that his morning's work had been washed away.

Watch the flood in the video above.

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