SAN ANTONIO – Missing manhole covers are not exactly a new problem, according to neighbors in the Southwest Side neighborhood where a woman fell Thursday afternoon.
According to the San Antonio Fire Department, the woman fell about six feet into the manhole.
Fire crews, using ropes and their rescue rig, pulled her out to safety. They then rushed her to a hospital.
Neighbors said she appeared to have suffered a leg injury.
“I didn’t see her fall in there, but I heard a loud noise, so I’m pretty sure it was her falling in there,” said neighbor Miranda Hernandez, who noticed the commotion afterward.
Hernandez lives a few doors down from the sidewalk area near Brunswick Boulevard and Packard Street where the manhole is located.
Hernandez and Rachel Garza both recorded the rescue on their cellphones from their front yard.
“I don’t how you could miss that, but still,” Garza wondered aloud, referring to the gaping hole in the sidewalk.
Both Garza and Hernandez said they had noticed the missing manhole and took care to steer clear of it.
They said it’s not the only missing cover in the area.
“I think somebody’s stealing the tops,” Hernandez said.
Garza agreed, saying she also has noticed the same problem near her job in another area of the city.
Garza expressed her concern that what appeared to be ongoing thefts could put other people in the neighborhood at risk, including children.
“Everyone plays around outside, especially the neighborhood right here,” Garza said, pointing to the area where the woman fell. “It’s too much, and it’s dangerous. I don’t know why they keep on taking them off.”
Hernandez said she recently heard about another close call involving a clerk at a convenience store down the street from her home.
“He said he almost fell in one,” Hernandez said.
The owner of the store confirmed Hernandez’s account. The owner said the clerk was not hurt in the incident, which happened last week.
According to the owner, the worker placed a call to the city and someone came out the same day to replace the lid and weld it shut.
KSAT 12 News reached out to the City of San Antonio’s Public Works Department, which has jurisdiction over those particular manholes.
Nicholas Oliver, PWD’s public relations and marketing manager, responded with a written statement.
“We are sorry to hear about (Thursday’s) incident,” Oliver said in the statement. “Upon hearing of the incident, Public Works staff immediately responded to the location. 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. Public safety is a top priority for the Public Works Department.”
Additionally, Oliver said while thefts like these are uncommon, crews replaced and sealed the lids on four manholes after the woman’s fall.
San Antonio police have made numerous arrests related to the theft of metal, including copper wiring.
In previous stories, officers have reported that stolen items are sold as scrap metal.
Section 16-210.10 of the San Antonio city ordinance, however, makes it illegal for scrap yards to accept certain metal items, including manhole covers.
Scrap yards also are required to collect personal information on people who sell scrap metal to them.
Oliver was not able to confirm right away whether police were investigating the recent manhole cover thefts.
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