Overview
- The family filed a wrongful-death suit in New York Supreme Court this week seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for Donike Gocaj and for her partner who was injured trying to save her.
- The manhole incident, which occurred May 18, 2026, happened when Gocaj stepped out of her car and fell into an uncovered, steam-filled shaft about 10 feet deep.
- The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death an accident and cited severe scald burns, thermal inhalation and blunt-force chest trauma as causes.
- Con Edison has said surveillance video shows a heavy multi-axle truck dislodged the cover roughly 12 minutes before Gocaj fell and city officials noted the utility had an open work permit at the site.
- The lawsuit alleges long-standing corporate knowledge of displaced covers, points to thousands of manhole complaints and emergency incidents, and urges fixes such as bolted or twist-lock covers, real-time sensors, internal safety nets, and systematic inspections.