Catapulting Manhole Cover Crashes into Car

If it’s true that sewer gas pressure can really blow a manhole cover 25 feet on a busy roadway like Route 9 in the middle of the afternoon, then “maybe Westchester needs to do those sewer repairs before 2014,” said Riverkeeper’s Tracy Brown in response to Monday’s startling news.

A manhole cover blasted up onto a passing car’s windshield near 245 North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow just after 1:30 p.m. The driver wasn’t seriously injured, but certainly startled as were witnesses who described what sounded like a large explosion.

As News Channel 12 reported it: “Witnesses say the explosion caused the manhole cover to hit the car's windshield. The cover landed 25 feet away. Witnesses also say the car spun around 360 degrees before coming to a stop.”

The driver complained of neck pain, reported Channel 12, and was transported to Westchester County Medical Center where he was treated and released.

In a report on the Journal News, Sleepy Hollow Police Lt. Anthony Bueti said he figured that a build-up of sewer gas was the likely cause of this blast.

Patch is waiting to hear back with an official assessment from Tom Lauro, commissioner of Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, and a man who knows all about our sewer system.

This incident comes on the heels of good news for the larger region served by the Tarrytown Pump Station and especially for the villages themselves, slated to receive millions in renovation funding for work that is scheduled to begin in March 2014.

But maybe that’s not soon enough, Brown said.

Not only are these high-pressure induced breaks occasionally sending untreated sewage into the river, an obvious concern for Riverkeeper, but it’s a safety issue for citizens when the road buckles or manhole covers fly. 

“There should not be that level of fume pressure under our Villages,” Brown said. “I hope Westchester County will implement a short term fix to avoid a repeat of yesterdays accident.”

Meanwhile, a notice has just arrived on Tuesday morning from the Village of Sleepy Hollow that there’s a water main break on Beekman Avenue by the Post Office. Unrelated, notes Village Clerk Paula McCarthy.