MUSKOGEE, Okla. — A four-foot plunge down a manhole leaves a woman with enough serious injuries to stop her from working. She also wonders why the hole was left uncovered.
It happened as Amanda Mullanex was walking to the store Saturday night.
“I fell in a hole. I remember thinking, 'Seriously?' I had to crawl out a manhole," Mullanex said. "Did this really just happen? This doesn't happen to people."
Mullanex went chest-deep in water.
"I was covered in it. It was up to my chest," Mullanex said. "Had I been a child walking down the street, what would've happened?"
Mullanex says, after falling, she called the city's office to let them know what happened.
The hole was barricaded, but the lid was not replaced until two days later.
"I guess it wasn't convenient enough to do it until Monday," Mullanex said. "That's what makes me upset about it."
Now, Mullanex does her best to get around with a swollen and bruised leg, but cannot go to work.
“Now, I can't walk, I can't go to work really," Mullanex said. "I'm not rich enough to be able to lose hours. Now, I have to pay for doctors visits and x-rays to make sure it's not broken."
Staff with the City of Muskogee are now working with Mullanex. A statement was sent to KJRH.
We addressed the resident's issue with safety precautions by placing a barricade over the open manhole as soon as possible. Due to the storm water still coming up through the hole the permanent cover was not replaced until Monday when the rain had ceased and water receded. City staff has spoken with Amanda and are working with her. We care about the safety of our residents. We hope for everyone to be alert, cautious, and aware of their surroundings at all times but especially during weather events.
