SAN ANTONIO - Texas – A woman was left injured after falling six feet down an open manhole on a sidewalk, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.
The incident occurred on the Southwest Side at the corner of Brunswick and Packard, near south Zarzamora Street, around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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The woman was rescued from the manhole with knee pain, SAFD said.
Neighbors who spoke with KSAT on Friday said uncovered manholes have been an ongoing issue in the area.
They told KSAT that people have been removing the covers.
One business owner said that an employee had a similar close call just last week, almost falling into an uncovered manhole.
An SAFD spokesperson said a city crew responded to the scene and welded a new cover onto it.
KSAT contacted the San Antonio Public Works Department about Thursday’s incident, and a city spokesperson has appeared to confirm what neighbors in the area are saying.
In a statement sent to KSAT, Public Works details that a crew was immediately dispatched to Brunswick and Packard.
“It appears a non-authorized individual removed multiple manhole covers in this neighborhood. We have searched the area and replaced and locked down the missing City drainage covers. Residents are encouraged to call 311 if they find any missing covers,” the statement reads.
The city spokesperson stated that four city drainage covers were discovered missing, and all four have been replaced.
They added that people stealing manhole covers is not a problem for the city.
The spokesperson did not return a comment asking if the city planned to do anything to combat the issue.
According to SAFD, the woman involved in Thursday’s incident suffered knee pain.