The final words of the grandmother who fell to her death stepping out of her car in Manhattan and falling down a dislodged manhole have been revealed.
“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,” witness Carlton Wood told ABC7 New York.
“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.”
A person familiar with the matter identified the victim as 56-year-old Donike Gocaj to The Wall Street Journal. Around 11:20 p.m. Monday night, Gocaj stepped out of her Mercedes-Benz SUV near a Cartier store and fell down the manhole.
Utility company Con Edison, which operates the manhole, told the publication that a large vehicle passed through the intersection near Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street around 12 minutes before the woman parked nearby. Video footage reviewed by the company showed a multi-axle truck passing over the intersection. According to the firm, the truck’s weight appeared to dislodge the cover.
“We are reviewing the details, and while this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles,” a spokesperson for the company told the newspaper. “Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority.”
The witness went on to claim that, although first responders arrived within minutes, it took about 20 minutes to get her out of the hole.
Wood told The New York Post that one man tried to let himself down so that she could grab his legs in order to pull himself up. Another man brought over a ladder that was too short to reach her.
Meanwhile, Gocaj appeared to be in a “puddle of water,” wood claimed.
“Like maybe steaming hot water,” Wood said. “So I’m not sure, but I’m assuming maybe she was burning up down there. Bad air down there.”
Gocaj was rushed to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Her loved ones described her to ABC7 New York as a loving mother to a son and daughter and a loving grandmother to two grandchildren.
“Our condolences are with the family of the woman who lost her life in this devastating incident,” the New York City Mayor’s Office said in a statement obtained by ABC7 New York. “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 Independent has contacted Con Edison for comment.
