Residents of the Hideaway Hills subdivision near South Dakota's Black Hills are facing a nightmare as sinkholes continue to threaten their homes. Stuart and Tonya Junker, along with around 150 neighbors, have filed a lawsuit against the state seeking $45 million in damages. The residents claim that the state sold land for the subdivision knowing it was located above an old mine, leading to the alarming situation they are now confronted with.

Sinkholes, caused by collapsed caves, old mines, or dissolving material, are not uncommon. However, the extensive sinkholes endangering numerous homes in South Dakota have taken the situation to a new level. Paul Santi, a geological engineering professor, highlighted the severity of the Hideaway Hills predicament, stating that it is likely to be remembered as a significant case in textbooks due to the scale of the sinkholes and the impact on the community.

Hideaway Hills was constructed between 2002 and 2004 on land formerly owned by the state, where gypsum mining took place for a state-owned cement plant. The state allegedly sold the surface but retained ownership of the subsurface, withholding information about the potential risks posed by the old mines. The residents began experiencing issues when the ground started sinking slightly, followed by the appearance of sinkholes, particularly after a significant collapse in 2020 near a resident's property while he was mowing the lawn.

The unstable ground has affected a total of 158 homes in the subdivision, leading to road and utility destabilization. Attorney Kathy Barrow, representing affected residents, discovered a large improperly sealed mine beneath the northeastern part of the subdivision and a 40-foot-deep pit mine in another area of the neighborhood. With numerous sinkholes continuing to appear, residents are living in fear, with Tonya Junker expressing how the situation has drastically impacted their lives, causing constant worry and sleepless nights.