Woman Dies After Falling Into Open Manhole in Manhattan
A 56-year-old girl died in a single day after falling into an open manhole when she stepped out of her automobile in Midtown Manhattan, considered one of New Yorkers’ biggest fears.
The sufferer, whose identify officers withheld, had parked his SUV on the nook of East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue late Monday, the police stated. When she stepped out, she plunged 10 ft into an uncovered utility gap in entrance of the Cartier Mansion.
The police responded to a 911 name from the situation at 11:19 pm and located the lady unconscious and unresponsive. An ambulance took her to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the place she was pronounced useless.
It was unclear why the manhole was open. Allan Drury, a spokesperson for Con Edison, stated the utility firm was investigating.
“Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority,” he stated.
The police stated there have been no arrests. There had been no passengers in the lady’s automobile, a Mercedes-Benz, and she or he was alone when she fell, in accordance with the police.
The metropolis health worker’s workplace stated it was investigating what brought on the lady’s demise.
Missing manhole covers are a standard downside in New York City. The Department of Environmental Protection, which is liable for manholes linked to the sewer system, has fielded greater than 700 service requests to date this yr, in accordance with town’s 311 name knowledge.
The girl’s demise recalled that of a homeless man who was found dead in a manhole in 2019 two weeks after I stumbled into it.
Falling into an open manhole is without doubt one of the many city nightmares New Yorkers fear about, together with falling by way of grates on the road, getting pushed onto the subway tracks and getting hit by a falling air-conditioner, amongst others.
Last yr, a girl died after a rubbish truck crash brought on scaffolding to collapse on her.
In 2020, a 33-year-old man fell into an underground vault of rats when the sidewalk collapsed beneath him, although he survived.
