SAN ANTONIO — A woman who was walking down the sidewalk in a southwest neighborhood found herself trapped in a 10-foot hole, according to San Antonio fire officials.
It happened Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Packard Street and Brunswick Boulevard.
KENS 5 spoke with a nearby homeowner who heard the woman’s cries for help. He didn’t want to be publicly identified but said her phone had fallen on the pavement and was out of reach. She was left hurt and helpless. The homeowner and his wife found her a few minutes later and called 911. She was treated at the hospital for a leg injury.
“Our neighbor right here was the hero of the day,” said Richard Thomas. "Who knows what would have happened if he didn't hear her calling for help."
The southwest side resident believes it was just a matter of time before something like this happened.
“Down the street where the stop sign is at, my grandpa walks to work,” said Thomas. “He works at Billy’s Food Mart.”
Thomas says his grandfather almost fell into a different manhole with a missing cover on Monday.
“He didn’t even see the hole,” said Thomas. “He was looking up; he’s a tall man so he is just always staring up and looking straight, and he almost fell in. If he didn’t catch himself, he would have fallen in. That one was five feet deep, so he could have been injured.”
Neighbors say at least four covers were recently stolen in the area.
Manhole covers typically weigh a few hundred pounds, but thieves sometimes pry them up for scrap metal.
The City of San Antonio Public Works Department released the following statement in response to Thursday’s incident.
“We are sorry to hear about [Thursday’s] incident. 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.”
Thomas says his grandfather reported the issue on Monday, but no one fixed it until it was too late.
“I feel like they should be more responsive, especially if someone calls them that day,” he said. “Don’t tell them, ‘We will be out until the next day.’ At least just go and put a board on it to cover it quick until you are able to get someone to go out and cover it.”
The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) says anyone caught removing a manhole cover can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 6 months in prison and up to a $2,000 fine.