US family seeks answers after fatal fall into open Manhattan manhole

The family of a New York woman is struggling for answers after the 56-year-old fell to her death upon stepping out of her car and slipping down an open maintenance hole on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. The woman in question died on Monday night and was identified by family members as Donike Gocaj, from Briarcliff Manor, a commuter belt area north of New York City. Police say she parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV at West 52nd and Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan just before 11.20pm. She had stepped out of the car and directly into the maintenance hole in front of the Cartier mansion. Gocaj fell down about 10ft (3m), and steam caused her to go into cardiac arrest. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The New York television station, WABC, spoke to her family members, who said they were saddened and shocked by her sudden death. The city’s electric utility provider, Con Edison, is investigating why the maintenance hole was left uncovered since no construction was going on nearby. The maintenance hole cover was found about 15ft from the opening. Authorities are reportedly looking into the possibility that a truck ran over it and caused it to dislodge. “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” Con Edison said in a statement. “We are actively investigating how this occurred. …