A 56-year-old woman died after she stepped out of a car and fell into an open manhole on a Midtown Manhattan street, police said Tuesday.
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Donike Gocaj, from Briarcliff Manor, New York, had just parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV on East 52nd Street before stepping out of her vehicle and into the open manhole a moment later, police said.
Con Edison said it wasn’t clear why the utility’s manhole wasn’t covered or barricaded off as the 11:20 p.m. tragedy unfolded Monday near the corner of Fifth Avenue and E.52nd Street. She fell about 10 feet, police said.
“I’m not giving any statements or comments at this time,” her heartbroken son told the Daily News when reached Tuesday.
The manhole was located outside the Cartier store, officials said.
Firefighters quickly removed her from the hole and EMS rushed her to Cornell Weill Medical Center, where she died, police said.
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By the time police arrived at the scene, EMS had already rushed Gocaj to the hospital, officials said.
Her distraught relatives told WABC Eyewitness News that the Westchester resident had two children and two grandchildren.
Con Edison covered the hole as they continued the probe into how the hole was left open and unprotected.
“We are actively investigating how this occurred,” a Con Ed spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority.”
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