Witnesses said there were no signs or anything warning of the hole. Firefighters helped the woman out, before she was brought to the hospital for head trauma. NBC New York’s Michael George reports.
What to Know
- A woman walking along West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue when witnesses say she stepped onto a panel along the sidewalk that was open
- She fell several feet down into the hole, and members of the FDNY had to help get her out
- She appeared to be injured when she was brought back up to the surface, but was alert and conscious, witnesses said
It’s a nightmare every New Yorker has: Walking along a city sidewalk when suddenly falling through a manhole, subway grate, cellar door — or in this case, a hole in the ground.
A woman walking along West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue just before 3 p.m. Friday when witnesses say she stepped onto a panel along the sidewalk that was apparently open. She fell several feet down into the hole, fire officials said, and members of the FDNY had to help get her out.
She appeared to be injured when she was brought back up to the surface, but was alert and conscious, witnesses said, adding the wounds did not appear to be too serious. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital with head trauma.
A woman in the area said there were no signs around the hole, which was simply covered up by a piece of cardboard or white plastic board, witnesses told NBC New York.
It was not known why the hole was present, or who was responsible for it. An investigation is ongoing.
