Questions about manhole complaints in NYC arise after woman falls to her death
New Yorkers were shocked this week when a Westchester County woman fell into an uncovered manhole in Midtown and later died.
The incident sparked questions about just how widespread manhole complaints are across the city.
Cause of death released
Donike Gocaj, 56, parked on 52nd Street near Fifth Avenue late Monday night, and promptly fell into a 10-foot-deep uncovered manhole as she stepped out of her vehicle.
A witness told CBS News New York he called 911 and could hear Gocaj screaming. Police said she was unconscious and unresponsive when emergency responders arrived. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner said Wednesday that Gocaj died from severe burns and a serious injury to her torso.
"If you're transporting steam across the city as a power source, you know, one could imagine that it was, you know, kind of well beyond 100 degrees," said Debra Laefer, a New York University professor of civil engineering.
Why the manhole was uncovered
City officials said Con Edison did have an open work permit, but at the time that Gocaj fell into the manhole, no work was going on.
Con Edison said video suggests the manhole cover was dislodged by a multi-axel truck that drove over it minutes before the accident.
"If you imagine a seesaw, and if you had a regular-size kid on one side and three kids on the other side, the seesaw is going to go up. And that's probably what happened was that, although the plate's quite heavy. The tire hit one side of it and kind of popped it up," Laefer said.
A City Hall spokesperson said in a statement, "Our condolences are with the family of the woman who lost her life in this devastating incident. City agencies are working with Con Ed to support the emergency response and conduct a full investigation into what occurred. Every question must be asked and answered so that no New Yorker experiences a tragedy like this again."
A wake will be held for Gocaj on Thursday, followed by a funeral Friday. Both will take place in Westchester County.
Manhole safety in NYC
Laefer pointed out most manholes are not in crosswalks and said Monday's accident is unusual. She said the average manhole cover weights 100-300 pounds.
"Typically, you need kind of a special tool [to remove it], but most of them are not actually locked," she said.
CBS News New York searched for complaints about missing manhole covers in the city's 311 system, and so far this year, there have been 711 complaints. Some of them, however, appear to be duplicates.
