Truck Dislodged Manhattan Manhole Cover 12 Minutes Before 56-Year-Old Woman's Fatal Fall
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 19
Truck Dislodged Manhattan Manhole Cover 12 Minutes Before 56-Year-Old Woman's Fatal Fall
14 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 19
Con Edison said surveillance video shows a multi-axle truck knocked loose a manhole cover on Fifth Avenue, leaving the opening exposed 12 minutes before Donike Gocaj fell in.
Gocaj, 56, had just parked her SUV near East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue late Monday when she stepped out and plunged 10 feet into the uncovered utility hole.
City officials said Con Edison held an open work permit on the block, though no work was underway, and the city is now investigating with the utility.
The death in front of the Cartier Mansion turned a rare but feared street hazard into a high-profile safety probe over how the cover was left open in Midtown.
Is a fatal fall into a manhole a tragic accident or a symptom of NYC's systemic infrastructure crisis?
Can a family find justice when city law shields the government from liability for deadly road hazards?