Cause of Death Revealed for Grandma Who Fell into Open Manhole in NYC

The cause of death has been revealed for the Westchester grandmother who fell into an open manhole on Monday in New York City.

On Wednesday the city’s medical examiner  ruled the death of 56-year-old Donike Gocaj an accident. She plunged into the steaming uncovered manhole after parking her SUV along East 52nd Street near Fifth Avenue, the New York Post reported.

The examiner found that Gocaj suffered inhalational thermal injuries, as well as blunt force trauma to her torse, both of which caused her death, according to the report.

Barbara Butcher, former chief of staff at the city’s medical examiner’s office, told the outlet her combination of injuries is consistent with falling into the extremely hot steam in the city’s manholes. 

“Perhaps the most damaging injury was the inhalation of steam, which would have damaged the alveoli, the tissue in the lungs, which transports oxygen to the bloodstream,” Butcher said.