{"id":2858,"date":"2026-07-17T19:38:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=2858"},"modified":"2026-07-17T19:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:38:50","slug":"family-of-woman-who-died-after-falling-into-scalding-uncovered-nyc-manhole-files-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=2858","title":{"rendered":"Family of woman who died after falling into scalding, uncovered NYC manhole files lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The family of a woman who died after falling into an uncovered 10-foot-deep manhole in Manhattan filed a lawsuit against New York City\u2019s largest utility, saying she experienced \u201cunfathomable\u201d pain.<\/p>\n

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Con Edison\u2019s \u201ccareless, grossly negligent, reckless, wanton and willful\u201d disregard for safety caused the death of Donike \u201cDonna\u201d Gocaj, her family said in the lawsuit filed Thursday.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

ConEd was responsible for keeping that opening covered and safe from anyone possibly falling into it, according to a lawsuit filed by Gocaj\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n

The manhole was \u201copen, uncovered, unguarded, unbarricaded and unprotected, without any warning, barrier, cone, light, signage or other safeguard of any kind,\u201d said the New York County civil complaint.<\/p>\n

The utility company said surveillance footage suggested that a large truck dislodged the manhole cover by driving over it. Though it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Gocaj did not die from the fall but as a result of burns and the inhalation of scalding steam, along with blunt-force injury to her chest, according to the city\u2019s medical examiner.<\/p>\n

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Gocaj\u2019s death was exceedingly gruesome and painful, her loved ones said.<\/p>\n

She suffered \u201cunfathomable and extensive conscious pain\u201d and was heard screaming \u201cI\u2019m dying! I\u2019m dying!\u201d while trapped in the manhole, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

The victim was survived by her children, Armando and Esterina Gocaj and longtime domestic partner Jashar \u201cJack\u201d Kameraj, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

The fatal fall \u201cwas caused and\/or contributed to by the negligent. careless, grossly negligent, reckless, wanton and willful conduct of and conscious disregard for the rights, lives and safety of others by the defendant\u201d ConEd, the plaintiffs\u2019 attorney Howard Hershenhorn said.<\/p>\n

The civil action did not name a dollar figure sought for damages.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

A ConEd representative declined to discuss the pending litigation on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe extend our condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased,\u201d ConEd spokesperson Anne Marie Corbalis said in statement to NBC News.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the matter is pending litigation, we cannot comment on specific allegations or legal proceedings,\u201d Corbalis said. \u201cCon Edison will review the complaint and respond through the appropriate legal process.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Donike \u201c\u201dDonna\u201d Gocaj, who fell into the 10-foot manhole full of scalding steam, suffered \u201cunfathomable\u201d pain, her family said in the suit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFamily of woman who died after falling into scalding, uncovered NYC manhole files lawsuit - Trusted Moving Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=2858\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family of woman who died after falling into scalding, uncovered NYC manhole files lawsuit - 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