Posted on 07/22/2005 9:04:22 AM PDT by Rakkasan1
A WOMAN WHO was branded with part of Con Edison's logo after falling onto a burning hot Manhattan manhole cover is suing the utility. A lawsuit filed yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court accuses Con Ed of allowing the manhole cover at E. 13th St. and Second Ave., to become excessively hot through a buildup of steam under it.
Elizabeth Wallenberg, 27, suffered "excruciating pain, disability and grotesque cosmetic disfigurement," according to the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.
The fall left Wallenberg with a "C" and "O" and part of the manhole grid burned onto her back, just above the buttocks, and with burns on her arm.
"It literally looked like a brand that had been applied by someone," said her attorney, Ronald Berman.
He said the insignia has since faded, and outline of the manhole grid has blurred.
But the incident will leave her with discolored skin on her back and arm for the rest of her life, he added. "There is nothing the doctors can do," Berman said.
Wallenberg, who was skateboarding when she fell, is now a factory worker in Portland, Ore., Berman said.
A Con Ed spokesman declined comment.Helen Peterson
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Fine. The just don't land on a manhole cover in Texas during the Summer...same results.
If it hurts when you do that; don't do that.
Oh you betcha, their called person hole covers up there, P.C. ya know.
That's the result of "an act of God". This one was the result of "an act of Con Ed". Man shouldn't criticize God . . . but we sure can Con Ed!
I gotta friend who details cars for a living. I'll bet he can buff that out for her.
A manhole cover that's been heated by the sun might give you a first degree burn.
It's not going to permenantly scar you on contact.
And, depending on what she looks like, might enjoy it too! lol
BTW I grew up on "The Honeymooners" and had a crush on Trixie!
There was a young woman out walking her dog not too long ago who was killed I think, when she was electrocuted by a Con Ed structure. IIRC, it was winter, and a drift of salted snow was pushed into the structure by the plows, and ...
Homeless Hot Plate -- Beware!
I may have learned it in geometry in high school, too. I picked it up somewhere - I just give credit to Ed Norton!
PS - Trixie was a babe! So was Alice, though they tried to downplay both of their looks on the show. I love the classic 39 with all my heart, and to this day I can't listen to ANY recording of 'The Hucklebuck' without laughing! ;-)
Then she can brag that she has a nice little caboose.
The ones here in FL get hot enough to raise blisters if you touch them. I have to pull them sometimes from the storm sewers in the course of my work, and I wear work gloves to keep from burning my hands. When I was younger and dumber, I didn't wear the gloves, and actually did blister myself a couple of times handling covers in mid-afternoon. The covers that FDOT uses are cast iron and weight about 200 pounds each, so they can absorb quite a lot of thermal energy.
I have heard that Con Ed directs the waste steam from the power generating plant into a citywide network of steam lines to provide heat to buildings. I do not know if this is true or not.
I read on another site where she was knocked for a loop from her fall, so it took her a little while to hear the sizzle and feel the burn. The cover was also located near a steam vent.
In other news, Nashua,NH is phasing out their Triangular manhole covers.
PING!
"The fall left Wallenberg with a "C" and "O"..."
There's no "O" on this cover....? And were the NYC sewers really made in India? Do they even HAVE sewers in India?
A lot of cities outside the US do provide steam heat to buildings - I wouldn't be surprised if NYC does as well.
When you read Jackie Gleason's bio you find that he grew up in those tenements in Brooklyn. His humor came from his background and his show, including his barkeep and the variety of characters who supported his show was more reality then the so called "Reality" shows that we are bombarded with, (I don't watch bradcast TV since it is SOOOOOO lame)
When Gleason played Minnesota Fats in "The Hustler" he was also displaying his youthfull billiards acumen.
He was soo powerful that he was able to move his show, with the June Taylor Dancers, to Florida so that he could pursue his golf game! The network had to go along!!
There are O's on manhole covers that say "Consolidated Edison," which isn't the sewer company. I didn't find a pic of the ConEd cover, just a generic photo to illustrate what a manhole cover is.
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