Her death triggered fears for New Yorkers and visitors alike, and now it’s been revealed just how the woman who fell into an open manhole in midtown Manhattan died.
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Donika Gocaj parked her SUV on the side of 52nd Street near Fifth Avenue, out front of the Cartier store. The 56-year-old got out of her vehicle, closed the door — and fell into an uncovered 10-foot-deep manhole.
Gocaj died from her injuries in what Con Edison said was a freak accident. The utility company said surveillance footage suggests a large truck dislodged a manhole cover by driving over it — a rare event, but something Con Ed acknowledged does happen.
While it’s not known just how a truck can dislodge a manhole cover, what is known is just how died. The city’s medical examiner ruled the death an accident, and determined she died as a result of scald burns with inhalational thermal injury, along with blunt force injury to her chest.
The manhole didn’t appear to be uncovered for long. Con Ed said that the surveillance video shows Gocaj parking her car near the manhole about 12 minutes after a multi-axle truck appears to dislodge the cover.
A source within City Hall said Con Edison had an open permit to conduct work on the block at the time of the deadly incident. The utility company is responsible for manhole coverings, the source said.
Con Edison said an investigation was ongoing.
“We are reviewing the details, and while this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles,” the utility said in an updated statement late Tuesday. “Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority.”
New Yorkers and tourists alike say the tragedy has unlocked a new fear, or at least brought it back to front-of-mind, for anyone who walks on city streets.
After offering condolences for Gocaj’s family, a City Hall spokesperson said 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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