Family of woman who died after falling into scalding, uncovered NYC manhole files lawsuit

U.S. newsFamily of woman who died after falling into scalding, uncovered NYC manhole files lawsuitDonike “Donna” Gocaj suffered “extensive” conscious pain when she stepped out of her car into the uncovered, 10-foot manhole, according to the family’s lawsuit.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00A 56-year-old woman died after she fell into an uncovered manhole near East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York on May 19.NBC NewsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 17, 2026, 3:05 PM EDTBy David K. LiThe family of a woman who died after falling into an uncovered 10-foot-deep manhole in Manhattan filed a lawsuit against New York City’s largest utility, saying she experienced “unfathomable” pain.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Con Edison’s “careless, grossly negligent, reckless, wanton and willful” disregard for safety caused the death of Donike “Donna” Gocaj, her family said in the lawsuit filed Thursday.Gocaj, 56, had parked her car in midtown Manhattan on May 18 and was headed to her job as an overnight cleaner when she stepped out of her vehicle and into the uncovered manhole near East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue, police said.ConEd was responsible for keeping that opening covered and safe from anyone possibly falling into it, according to a lawsuit filed by Gocaj’s estate.The manhole was “open, uncovered, unguarded, unbarricaded and unprotected, without any warning, barrier, cone, light, signage or other safeguard of any kind,” said the New York County civil complaint.The utility company said surveillance footage suggested that a large truck dislodged the manhole cover by driving over it. Though it’s rare, ConEd acknowledged it does happen. According to the utility, the surveillance video shows Gocaj parking her car near the manhole about 12 minutes after a multiaxle truck appears to dislodge the cover.Gocaj did not die from the fall but as a result of burns and the inhalation of scalding st...