LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)– After Yoder the police horse fell into an uncovered utility hole on Tuesday night, Kentucky American Water made sure the hole was repaired quickly. It was fixed within hours, but neighbors say it was open for months before the accident happened.
While LEX 18’s Karolina Buczek was covering the story, she found other utility covers near the same intersection that still appear to be loose. Neighbors told LEX 18 that they see utility covers off or missing quite often in this area and that they weren’t surprised Yoder fell into the hole. It had been visible for months, the neighbors say.
Kentucky American Water, the group responsible for the covers, said it did not know about it. The company said that the last time it was in the area inspecting its pipes and covers was late summer.
“Between that time, something could’ve happened. Sometimes those lids will come off for various reasons. They can be seasonably related, where the temperatures affect if there’s water in that valve and it freezes and caused the lid to be dislodged,” said Susan Lancho, the spokesperson for Kentucky American Water.
There are thousands of those manholes across the city of Lexington. Kentucky American Water said that the best thing you can do if you see that one is loose is to report it and they will come out and fix it.
LEX 18 reported the loose cover. Within an hour, a crew came and repaired it.
