HONOLULU (KHON2) — A mother in Nanakuli said a utility manhole cover right outside her doorstep is cause for concern after one of her kids fell through it. She is now asking for immediate repairs to the utility cover before anyone else gets hurt.
Minor scrapes and cuts, Daphne Teo-Nera said her 13-year-old son fell through the utility cover outside their home on Sunday.
Teo-Nera said, “He walked on the utility cover and it caved in and he fell through the manhole, he got scratched on his belly and his leg and foot.”
The cover sits right in front of their front gate and in the middle of the sidewalk, which is difficult to avoid.
She said, “We open the gate and try our best to just like walk around it.”
Teo-Nera said her son is doing better, but fears that with each day that passes someone else could get hurt.
“If any of my other kids would have fallen it would have been a worse injury because I have a son who has a dislocated hip,” said Teo-Nera. “And then I have three small ones so they would’ve been trapped inside.”
She said management placed two orange cones over the utility cover a couple of days after the accident.
KHON2 News reached out to the community association’s management, Associa Hawaii. A company representative said the resident manager inspected the cover and learned it belonged to Hawaiian Telcom, which they said was informed about the incident.
According to Associa Hawaii, Hawaiian Telcom said it would address the necessary repairs as soon as possible.
KHON2 News has not gotten a response from Hawaiian Telcom regarding repairs and timeline.
Teo-Nera said she does not want this incident to fall through the cracks.
“We’re waiting to see if they will actually make a good fix because to me in the middle of the cover,” said Teo-Nera. “It’s still open, so I feel like if one of my kids were running to open the gate, they could still scratch themselves from it.”
The Associa Hawaii representative said they will follow up with Hawaiian Telcom to ensure the cover is repaired or replaced immediately.