Legally blind woman falls into sidewalk opening

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe

A woman in New Jersey who is legally blind walked into an open access door Thursday and fell several feet into a utility room, officials said.

Workers in Plainfield had the doors open as they worked on a gas line that runs below the street.

Officials at first reported that the 67-year-old woman was distracted by her cellphone, but her son told CBS New York that his mother is legally blind and has trouble seeing blended colors. He said that his mother is diabetic and was looking down at her phone at the time of the accident to check the time, to see if she needed to eat or check her sugar, as she wasn't feeling well.

She was rescued by emergency crews and taken to an area hospital, listed in serious condition, WPIX reported.

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