You don’t have to be a New Yorker to fear the sidewalk grate — those shuttered cellar doors restaurants and other businesses have out front that are supposed to be safe to walk on — it can strike fear in the heart of any pedestrian, city dweller or tourist. One man embodied that common worry when he stumbled into an open sidewalk door in front of McDonald’s recently in the city’s busy Midtown neighborhood.

The man fell at least 12 feet through an entrance to a cellar yesterday afternoon in front of a McDonald’s that’s in an area of the city that sees a lot of foot traffic, reports CBS New York, and was taken to the hospital. He reportedly hit his head, but he’s expected to be okay.

While some witnesses told the news station that the cellar door didn’t have any cones or barriers up indicating that the door was open and waiting to eat oblivious people, a McDonald’s manager claimed there were cones up at the time, and that three employees were standing outside blocking the entrance. The manager also said the man could’ve been on his phone when he fell.

Stay alert, friends who walk on city streets. You never know when the Earth will open up and swallow you whole.

Man Falls Into Sidewalk Grate In Front Of Midtown McDonald’s [CBS New York]

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