Hot Tunnels Under the City Street?
A lady falls into an open manhole after exiting her vehicle. Falls 10 feet and dies. But not from the fall. Medical examiner “determined she died as a result of scald burns with inhalational thermal injury, along with blunt force injury to her chest.”
Scald burns with inhalational thermal injury. What. The Fuck. Why is it so hot down there? Putting on my best Karen outfit, I researched. Because – I wanted to know. Just in case I’m not cognizant of my surroundings when stepping out of my vehicle while parked on a city street, where does this scalding danger come from? What do I need to be aware of?
I learned these are utility tunnels that house steam pipes and other utility components. These temperatures can easily exceed 180 degrees F. Crazy, right?