Officials Reveal What Really Killed Woman Who Plunged Into Steam-Filled Manhole — And the Findings Are Absolutely Devastating

CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED FOR WOMAN WHO FELL INTO MANHOLE FILLED WITH BOILING HOT WATER

The death of 56-year-old Donike Gocaj has officially been ruled an accident after she plunged into an uncovered manhole in Midtown Manhattan earlier this week.

According to the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, Gocaj died from a combination of severe thermal injuries and blunt force trauma after falling into the utility hole near East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue around 11:20 p.m. Monday night.

Officials said Gocaj suffered extensive scald burns, including inhalational thermal injuries caused by breathing in extremely hot air or steam. The medical examiner also determined she sustained blunt force trauma to her torso during the fall.

According to the NY Post, witnesses described horrifying moments after the incident, saying Gocaj screamed, “I’m dying,” as bystanders desperately tried to help before emergency crews arrived.

Authorities said the uncovered Con Edison manhole appeared to contain boiling water and heavy steam at the time of the incident. The medical examiner’s findings confirmed that Gocaj suffered catastrophic heat-related injuries before her death.

Gocaj had reportedly just parked her SUV moments before the tragic fall. The incident remains under investigation as officials work to determine why the cover was removed.

BACKSTORY:





The woman who died after falling down an uncovered manhole in Midtown Manhattan has been identified as Donika Gocaj, a 56-year-old mother and grandmother from Briarcliff Manor.

Authorities say Gocaj fell nearly 10 feet into the open manhole around 11:20 p.m. Monday after stepping out of her parked Mercedes-Benz SUV near the Cartier store at 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Emergency responders pulled her from the hole and rushed her to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries.

Family members told Eyewitness News they are desperately searching for answers following the shocking tragedy.

Con Edison said it is investigating how the manhole was left uncovered.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.

“We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority.”

The official cause of death will be determined by the city medical examiner.

Construction workers in the area questioned how such a dangerous hazard could have been left exposed.

“It should have never happened. They should have covered it back up or put something around it,” one worker told the New York Post.

Another worker questioned whether electrical hazards inside the hole may have contributed to her death, though officials have not confirmed that possibility.

The investigation remains ongoing.