Woman dies after falling into uncovered manhole as she stepped out of her car
Madison Burgess
Featured Image Credit: CBS News New York
A woman has tragically died after falling 10 feet down an uncovered manhole in New York City.
The horrifying incident occurred on Monday night (18 May) on Fifth Avenue, and as reported by ABC7, the woman has since been identified as 56-year-old Donike Gocaj from Briarcliff Manor.
She had parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV at West 52nd and Fifth Avenue, but stepped directly into the uncovered hole.
A New York Police Department spokesperson told PEOPLE Magazine that officers were called to the scene on Fifth Avenue around 11:19 p.m. local time.
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They found Gocaj unconscious and unresponsive at the bottom of the manhole, before she was rushed to the hospital, but sadly was pronounced dead.
As per the CBS News, the utility company Con Edison reviewed video footage and believes the cover of the manhole was dislodged by a truck.
The outlet reports that the manhole was for a Con Edison electrical vault, according to police sources.
A spokesperson for the company told the publication: “Approximately 12 minutes later, the person involved in the incident parked her car nearby.”
They added: "We are reviewing the details, and while this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles. Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority."
Visiting the scene of the tragedy on Tuesday (19 May) Gocaj’s family told CBS at the scene of that they’re trying to understand how something like this could have happened.
They added that she heartbreakingly leaves behind a son, a daughter, and two grandchildren.
While her daughter-in-law claimed there were no cones, warning signs, or barriers around the maintenance hole.
Carlton Wood, a witness who called 911, told the publication that ‘she closed the door behind her, and one step forward, I guess in the direction she was trying to go, and she just disappeared’.
He said: "Somebody had a short ladder, but that wasn't enough, so it was significantly deep. She was screaming she was dying."
The eyewitness added: "She wasn't distracted, she didn't walk onto a construction site, I mean, she parked her car, stepped out of her car, and dropped right into the manhole."
There is an ongoing investigation into what happened, police have confirmed, although no criminal activity is suspected at this time.
The city medical examiner's office is also in the process of determining the cause of death.
Open manholes are a common issue in New York City, with a number of accidents reported every single year.
The New York Times reports that shockingly, the Department of Environmental Protection, which is responsible for manholes connected to the sewer system, has received more than 700 service requests so far this year alone.
Tyla has contacted Con Edison for further comment.