Autopsy reveals cause of death for woman who fell down Manhattan manhole
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN (WABC) -- An autopsy has revealed the cause of death for a woman who plunged to her death after stepping out of her car into an open manhole in Midtown on Monday night.
56-year-old Donike Gocaj died of scald burns with inhalation thermal injury and blunt force trauma of the torso, according to an autopsy.
Her death was ruled an accident by the medical examiner.
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.
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