FLASH NEWS
She fell into a manhole in New York, the forensic report reveals: Here is the cause of death of Albanian Donika Gocaj
2026-05-23 12:30:23 / AKTUALITET
Following the death of Albanian woman originally from Shkodra, Donika Gocaj, in New York, forensic reports have been published which reveal the cause of her tragic death, as a result of falling into an open manhole in New York as soon as she got out of her car, on the evening of May 19.
According to the report, it is learned that Donika Gocaj died due to the hot steam of the manhole where she suddenly fell, along with the trauma she experienced.
The 56-year-old from Shkodra is reported to have suffered burns that included thermal injuries through inhalation, along with trauma from a forceful blow to the chest, which caused her immediate death.
What remains serious is the fact that Gocaj did not die because she suffered burns to her body, but due to inhaling hot steam that is suspected to have stopped her heart.
"Perhaps the most damaging injury was the inhalation of the vapor, which would have damaged the alveoli, the tissue in the lungs that transports oxygen into the bloodstream. When they inflate, they can no longer carry oxygen. The vapor would have caused her severe skin burns, but the real cause of the injury would have been the inhalation ," said Barbara Butcher, former chief of staff at the city medical examiner's office.
Donika Gocaj's death left an incurable wound for her children, son Armando and daughter Esterina, as well as for daughter-in-law Caitlin and two young grandchildren, Zayn and Abel.
The serious incident occurred on Monday evening at around 11:19 PM near Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where the Albanian woman had just gotten out of her Mercedes Benz SUV and ended up in an open manhole, which caused her instant death.
It is learned that the moment she got out of the car, the Albanian took a step back, her feet fell into the well and her body disappeared from the surface.
As soon as they saw her, several citizens present came forward to help her, and it is even reported that one of them took a pair of stairs to go down and pull out the body of the Shkodra resident, but his intervention was impossible due to the depth of the manhole.
While waiting for the arrival of emergency teams, citizens present at the tragic moment of the event said that for several minutes they could hear Donika's voice screaming for help.
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters immediately intervened and attempted to enter the well through several ladders. Despite the interventions and efforts to save the Albanian woman, Donika Gocaj was pulled out of the well with no signs of life.
She was rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately died at the scene.
It is reported that there were no warning signs or protective barriers around the open manhole at the scene.
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