A 56-year-old grandmother has died after falling into an uncovered, steam-filled manhole in a city center manhattanmedical officials ruled she suffered severe thermal and blunt force injuries in the tragic accident.
Donike Gocaj fell into an exposed maintenance hole while parking her SUV near East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City late Monday night, the Mirror reported.
On Wednesday, the city medical examiner ruled her death an accident.
Severe vapor inhalation and burns
Officials said Gokaj suffered inhalation thermal injury and blunt force trauma to the torso after jumping into the steam-filled opening.
new york cityThe company’s underground steam system, known for producing the signature steam that rises from various manholes in Manhattan, delivers water as hot as about 456 degrees Fahrenheit, according to reports.
Barbara Butcher, former chief of staff for the city’s medical examiner’s office, explained that inhalation of superheated vapor may have caused the most serious injuries.
“Perhaps the most devastating injury is the inhalation of vapor, which damages the alveoli, the tissue in the lungs responsible for carrying oxygen into the blood,” Butcher said, according to the Irish Star.
“When they swell, they can no longer bring in oxygen. The steam would have burned her skin, but the real cause of injury was inhalation,” she added.
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Witnesses tried to help victims
Bystanders at the scene reportedly tried to assist Gokaj before emergency crews arrived.
One witness told local media they heard her shout “I’m dying” after falling into the hole, which appeared to be filled with boiling water and steam.
Witness Carl Wood told the New York Post that the area did not appear to have been properly secured before the accident. “The cover is right next to the hole. It’s just outside the hole,” Wood said. “No cones, no barricades, nothing.”
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Forensic pathologist Lee Ann Grossberg said Gokaj’s injuries would likely have resulted in a “very painful death,” the New York Post reported.
Authorities have not publicly explained why the manhole was not covered at the time of the fatal incident.
