Questions about manhole complaints in NYC arise after woman falls to her death

A Westchester County woman died after falling into a 10-foot-deep uncovered manhole in Midtown. She parked near Fifth Avenue and stepped out of her vehicle late Monday night, then fell into the opening. A witness called 911 and reported hearing her screaming. Police said she was unconscious and unresponsive when responders arrived, and she was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. The medical examiner reported death from severe burns and serious torso injury. City officials said Con Edison had an open work permit but no work was occurring at the time. Con Edison said video indicates a multi-axel truck dislodged the cover minutes earlier. City agencies are working with Con Edison and conducting a full investigation.

"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."

"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.""

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