A Gonubie woman going shopping was badly injured when she stepped out of her car and plunged into an open municipal manhole yesterday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said Phillipa Buret had just parked her car next to the manhole near the Main Road when she alighted and fell straight in, fracturing and gashing her legs.
She bled profusely and went straight into shock. Paramedics treated her on site before she was hospitalised.
Antony Schwedhelm, chief executive of Totally Solar, close to where the incident happened, said Buret was in the vicinity to do some shopping.
He said the uncovered manhole was 1.8m deep.
“It has been left open and unattended for four months now. We have made numerous calls to the municipality to have it fixed, but our appeals fell on deaf ears,” he said.
He said passersby who had seen Buret’s fall had rushed to help her.
“They had a van come in to inspect the manhole and put a temporary lid soon after the incident occurred.
“They are doing so only when a woman has been hurt,” said an upset Schwedhelm.
Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said: “The municipality would like to encourage residents to report any missing manhole lids to 0437059243.
“We have a challenge whereby manhole lids get stolen for various reasons and this in most cases leads to unfortunate occurrences.”
Daygra energy specialist and electrical engineer Bertie le Roux, who works nearby, said: “It was shocking. The woman did not see the manhole at all. Her door was just above it. The manhole only has half of its lid on and that’s what cut her.”
“Every time we are working, we always have to keep an eye on it because you never know if children are going to walk right past it,” he said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Open manhole fractures woman’s leg
Eyewitnesses said Phillipa Buret had just parked her car next to the manhole near the Main Road when she alighted and fell straight in, fracturing and gashing her legs.
She bled profusely and went straight into shock. Paramedics treated her on site before she was hospitalised.
Antony Schwedhelm, chief executive of Totally Solar, close to where the incident happened, said Buret was in the vicinity to do some shopping.
He said the uncovered manhole was 1.8m deep.
“It has been left open and unattended for four months now. We have made numerous calls to the municipality to have it fixed, but our appeals fell on deaf ears,” he said.
He said passersby who had seen Buret’s fall had rushed to help her.
“They had a van come in to inspect the manhole and put a temporary lid soon after the incident occurred.
“They are doing so only when a woman has been hurt,” said an upset Schwedhelm.
Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said: “The municipality would like to encourage residents to report any missing manhole lids to 0437059243.
“We have a challenge whereby manhole lids get stolen for various reasons and this in most cases leads to unfortunate occurrences.”
Daygra energy specialist and electrical engineer Bertie le Roux, who works nearby, said: “It was shocking. The woman did not see the manhole at all. Her door was just above it. The manhole only has half of its lid on and that’s what cut her.”
“Every time we are working, we always have to keep an eye on it because you never know if children are going to walk right past it,” he said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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