• 09
  • January
    2012

Stepping onto an elevator should be the most mundane part of our day. We trust the elevator companies, maintenance workers and building owners to guard our safety by properly designing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining elevator equipment.

New York City workers in particular depend on elevators, as many of them work on high floors in skyscrapers. One such worker stepped onto an elevator in mid-December on her way to her advertising-agency job.

Before the doors could close, the elevator lurched upward, trapping the worker between the elevator shaft and the elevator car. The woman, in her early forties, died at the scene. The two people already in the elevator watched helplessly as the elevator accident rapidly unfolded. They were treated for psychological trauma after the shocking event.

Investigation Into Cause of New York Elevator Accident

Investigators are working to find the cause of the New York City elevator accident. According to the New York Daily News, an elevator consultant company had performed electrical work on the elevator just hours before the accident.

Elevators can malfunction for numerous reasons. It can be difficult to immediately determine who is liable for elevator accidents, but a methodical investigation can pinpoint the answer.

Possible causes of elevator malfunction include owner or repair-technician negligence. Misaligned belts, improperly calibrated cables and faulty electrical wiring can all be at the root of elevator accidents. Elevators may malfunction by stopping and starting suddenly, trapping a passenger's clothing or shoes, or stopping out of alignment with the floor.

New Yorkers ride hundreds of elevators countless times every day. Although the vast majority of journeys up and down are uneventful, occasionally tragedy does strike.