Brooklyn Apartment Building Visitor Killed in Elevator Accident

 A 37-year-old man who was visiting friends at a luxury apartment building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was fatally injured in an elevator accident. According to a news report in The New York Times, the man and four of his friends were in a malfunctioning elevator, the only one in the building, which plunged to the basement with its door still open. The victim’s body was crushed between the elevator and the basement ceiling. He had suffered severe head and torso trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.

History of Problems with Elevator
The fatal elevator accident occurred in a seven-year-old building at 156 Hope Street near Union Avenue. The elevator has been tagged with four violations since 2013, all of them since resolved. It had also drawn three complaints for being unsafe and unreliable in 2012, according to the New York City Department of Buildings’ records. City inspectors are still looking into what caused this horrific accident. They say it is possible that the device brake was unable to hold the capacity load and caused the cab to fall.
A building property manager told the Times that they have “never had any problem with the elevator.” The Times also reports that in November 2012, one complaint stated that the elevator would only go up and only opened half way. Another filed in December 2012 said the elevator was not working again and that it happened every three or four weeks. A third complaint, also filed in December, said the elevator door opens halfway and shakes up and down sometimes when stopping on the floor.
Fatal Elevator Accidents
ConsumerWatch.com has stated that approximately 27 people are killed each year in elevator accidents in the United States. Even though elevator accident deaths are rare in New York City, they continue to occur from time to time. In 2008, a 5-year-old boy was killed when he tried to jump out of a stalled elevator in a Brooklyn public housing complex. In 2011, an advertising executive died after an elevator lurched upward and crushed her in a Midtown Manhattan building. That fatal elevator accident led to an increased level of media attention as well as public outrage and was attributed to improper elevator maintenance.
Common Causes of Elevator Accidents
Elevator accidents may have a number of causes. The most common reason for elevator accidents – and one that forms the basis of many lawsuits – is misleveling, or when the elevator comes to a stop that is not level with the hallway floor. A number of elevator accidents also occur due to faulty sliding doors. In such cases a passenger is struck and injured by an elevator door that closes unexpectedly. Swing-door elevators may result in crushing or amputation injuries as well. Excessive elevator speed can also cause serious injuries to passengers’ backs and joints. We also see an alarming number of accidents involving falls into elevator shafts, usually caused by mechanical malfunctions, or by disabling the mechanism that keeps the elevator level with the hallway floor.
Who is Responsible?
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), elevators and escalators must be built and maintained safely. Elevators are required to always be kept up to standards and if there is a fault or an issue that occurs, property owners and/or property managers are required to stop usage of that elevator or escalator immediately. Companies responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing elevators can also be held liable if someone is injured or killed as a result of their negligence.
Building owners and managers have a responsibility to maintain elevators in good working condition. Maintenance companies must ensure that elevators are serviced and functioning properly. Injured victims of elevator accidents can seek compensation from the at-fault parties involved for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in an elevator accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: The New York Times