A 67-year-old woman who was walking while on her phone didn’t notice an open sidewalk-access cellar door in front of her and plunged down the hole on Thursday, officials say.
The woman suffered serious injuries after dropping six feet down the stairs and into a basement.
Authorities say she was walking down a sidewalk in Plainfield, New Jersey, before the fall.
Relatives of the woman told CBS New York she was not distracted by the phone and said she is legally blind and diabetic.
Authorities say the woman is not in stable condition. Her son said she was visiting from Florida, and he will be flying up tomorrow to be with her.