New York elevator accident claims life of one woman
Building owners have a duty to keep their premises safe, whether it is by ensuring that floors are not slippery, sidewalks do not have protruding cracks and that basically everything on the property is kept in a safe condition. It is unclear at this point whether it was faulty repair work or something else that caused a New York elevator to unexpectedly rise this week, crushing a woman’s body between the shaft wall and the elevator floor.
The 41-year-old woman lost her life as a result of the injuries she sustained in the accident on Wednesday morning. There were two other passengers on the elevator at approximately 10 a.m. when it began its un-signaled ascent. The two other passengers did not appear to have serious physical injuries, but were immediately treated for the trauma that was caused when they saw the woman crushed in front of their eyes.
Officials with the New York City Department of Buildings immediately reported to the scene after learning of the terrible accident. The officials began an investigation on site to determine what made the elevator suddenly move. The last inspection of the building was conducted on June 16, 2011 and included a notation that there was a “defect found.” At this point, it is unclear whether that noted defect is related to the elevator in any way.
This is the second week in a row in which there has been a fatal accident involving an elevator which has caught national attention. In California, a similar accident occurred that took the life of a 48-year-old woman. This time, the elevator did not rise but went in the opposite direction crushing the woman in a similar way to the New York accident. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Consumer Product Safety Commission data approximately 27 of these fatal incidents occur on an annual basis and another 10,000 people are injured in elevator accidents.
Source: abc News, “Woman Crushed in New York Elevator Accident,” Richard Esposito and Christina Ng, Dec. 14, 2011
