India, May 20 -- A 56-year-old Donike Gocaj is a woman who lost her life late Monday night after stepping out of her parked car and plunging into an uncovered manhole on one of New York City's busiest streets. The tragic incident has raised serious questions about public safety and utility maintenance in Midtown Manhattan.

Shortly after 11:19pm ET on May 18, Donike Gocaj of Briarcliff Manor had just parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV near West 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue, right outside the iconic Cartier store at 653 Fifth Ave when she stepped out and fell roughly 10 feet straight down into an open manhole, according to the New York Police Department.

Officers who arrived at the scene found her unconscious and unresponsive inside the hole. S...