Officials in New York City have announced the cause of death for a 56-year-old woman who died Monday after falling into an open manhole.
The reported victim, Donike Gocaj, fell 10 feet into the open manhole after stepping out of a parked SUV, according to WABC. She lived in Westchester County and had a son, a daughter, and two grandchildren, according to People.
On Wednesday, New York City’s chief medical examiner told People that Gocaj’s death was an accident, and that she died of “scald burns with inhalational thermal injury and blunt force trauma of the torso.”
Police sources told ABC News they believed that heat from the underground steam caused Gocaj to suffer cardiac arrest after she fell in.
No construction was underway at the site where Gocaj fell, but the missing manhole cover was discovered 15 feet from the manhole.
Carlton Wood, who saw Gocaj fall into the hole, told WABC TV she kept screaming, “I’m dying” over and over during her ordeal.
“She wasn’t distracted, she didn’t walk onto a construction site,” he said. “I mean, she parked her car, stepped out of her car and dropped right into the manhole.”
Gocaj was rushed to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Con Edison, the operator of the manhole, determined after reviewing footage that a truck somehow dislodged the cover from the hole about 12 minutes before Gocaj’s accident, according to NBC New York.
“We are reviewing the details, and while this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles. Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority,” Con Edison said in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday.