From Newsgroup: nyc.politics

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN (WABC) -- A woman plunged to her death after stepping
out of her car into an open manhole in Midtown on Monday night.

She was identified by family members on Tuesday as 56-year-old Donike
Gocaj from Briarcliff Manor. Police sources say her death appears to be
an accident, and no criminality is suspected.

ConEd said it has reviewed video footage and determined, as police
suspected, that a truck dislodged the cover of the manhole.

Gocaj parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV at West 52nd and Fifth Avenue just
before 11:20 p.m.

She stepped out of her car, directly into an uncovered manhole. Gocaj
fell down about 10 feet, and the steam caused her to go into cardiac
arrest.

She was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was
pronounced dead.

A witness heading to work at the time said he saw what happened.

"I saw a woman stepping out of her car, and as soon as she stepped out,
it's like she took one step forward and just disappeared," Carlton Wood
said.

Wood said first responders arrived within minutes, but it took about 20
minutes to get her out of the hole.

"She was screaming, 'I'm dying,' that's what I kept hearing her
screaming over and over," Wood said. "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."

Eyewitness News spoke to Gocaj's family members, who said they are
deeply saddened and extremely shocked.

Loved ones said Gocaj was a loving mother to a son and daughter and a
loving grandmother to two grandchildren.

Now, her family wants answers about how this could have happened.

"Following this tragic incident, we are continuing to investigate how
this occurred," a spokesperson said in a statement. "We have reviewed
video footage from the area, which suggests that the cover was dislodged
after a multi-axle truck turning onto 52nd Street from 5th Avenue drove
over it. Approximately 12 minutes later, the person involved in the
incident parked her car nearby. 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."

The Mayor's Office released a statement in response to the tragic death.

"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," the Mayor's Office said
in a statement.

https://abc7ny.com/post/woman-dead-falling-uncovered-manhole-midtown-nyc/ 19129645/
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