Overview
- On May 18, 2026, 56-year-old Donike Gocaj fell into an open Con Edison manhole at West 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue and later died of scald burns and thermal inhalation, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident.
- Con Edison has said company footage shows a heavy truck dislodged the manhole cover minutes before the fall and the company extended condolences while saying it will respond through the legal process.
- On July 17, 2026, Gocaj’s family and her domestic partner filed a verified wrongful-death complaint in New York Supreme Court alleging negligence, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and calling for stronger safety measures.
- The filing says partner Jashar 'Jack' Kameraj witnessed the fall, suffered severe inhalation burns trying to rescue Gocaj, and is now bedridden, while attorneys describe the crash as part of a wider pattern of manhole hazards reported to the city.
- The complaint points to Con Edison’s large manhole network and urges specific fixes such as bolted or twist-lock covers, real-time sensors to detect displaced lids, and internal secondary devices to catch falling people, a change that could trigger wider scrutiny of utility maintenance practices.