NewsUS NewsAccidentsThe woman died after opening the door of a Mercedes and plummeting down an open manhole in a busy New York street- an investigation is underway after her family claimed there were 'no warning signs'18:28, 19 May 2026A woman has tragically died after falling down a manhole while getting out of a car.‌The horror incident unfolded on a busy street in New York at around 11:19pm on Monday night, with the woman plummeting down the open chamber just seconds after opening the door of a Mercedes.‌She was found unconscious and rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, but was pronounced dead a short time later. The woman's family visited the scene on Tuesday morning as questions mounted over how the manhole could have been left uncovered in Midtown Manhattan, one of the US city's most frequented districts.‌READ MORE: Fury as thief steals 21 manhole covers from single street in one nightREAD MORE: Dad, 36, died after looking up at roadsweeper and stepping into manholeHer daughter-in-law was visibly shaken as she spoke to reporters from CBS News New York, claiming there were no cones, warning signs, or barriers around the hole, and that the family were still struggling to come to terms with her death as it was "so fresh". An investigation is underway into how the manhole was left open.A spokesperson from utility company Con Edison told US media: "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole. We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual's family, and safety remains our top priority."‌It's not the first time someone has died in the US in a manhole accident. In October 2024, grandmother Teresa Gail Gonzales, 66, died after falling into an exposed sewer system manhole in Dallas, Texas.The tragedy led her family to file a $100 million (£74million) lawsuit against the city. Her body was swept through the sewers over the days that followed, and was eventually found several miles away.‌In 2016, a woman died after experiencing a 10-foot drop into an open manhole in Baltimore, Maryland. She suffered multiple injuries from the fall, but was killed after suffering severe thermal burns from an active, pressurised underground steam pipe. Baltimore Police incident reports said she was a member of the public.Back in Manhattan, a man died in 2002 after falling into a 10-to-15-foot-deep Con Edison manhole, which had been covered by a temporary plastic tower used to vent steam.Article continues belowA court later heard he fell into the chamber during an altercation with a friend on a night out, which was reported by some news outlets as a 'play fight'. In most cases, victims of these types of accidents are workmen, rather than members of the public.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌AccidentsNew York