A tragic elevator accident occurred recently when an 84-year-old man with a cane stepped into the elevator at his building in the Bronx. The elderly man sustained a fall on the day before Christmas and he subsequently died of resulting injuries. The elevator on which his deadly accident occurred had been the subject of repeated complaints to the New York Housing Authority.
When the New York Housing Authority fails to take appropriate actions to protect tenants, serious or even fatal consequences can arise — especially when high-risk equipment like elevators malfunction. An experienced New York City personal injury law firm should be consulted by victims of elevator accidents or anyone who is harmed due to unsafe conditions that fail to elicit a response from the Housing Authority.
Deadly Elevator Accident Could Have Been Prevented if Action Had Been Taken
The elevator where the man died was described to CBS New York as a βmalfunctioning nightmareβ by a friend of the victim. Not only were there repeated complaints made over time, but a call had been made to the housing authority just two hours before the man was killed on the elevator. A tenant had reported a βvery dangerousβ condition because the elevator was jumping and it was going up and down to different floors with the door open.
Even the city’s own investigation discovered the New York City Housing Authority’s actions in response to complaints about the elevator were βtoo little, too late.βΒ When the complaint had come in that morning about the elevator problems, a mechanic should have been dispatched immediately to take the elevator out of service.
Unfortunately, the secretary who took the phone message that day ended up leaving work before passing the message on to a supervisor. It was not until four days later that senior management at the Housing Authority learned of the incident and conducted an investigation into what had occurred.
The problem with the elevator was found to be a faulty brake monitor, which is supposed to stop an elevator with bad brakes but which did not work effectively.Β As many as 80 other elevators located in New York’s public housing units also have the same brake monitor. The commissioner of the Department of Investigation has asserted that βthe more than 400,000 New Yorkers in public housing deserve better.β
Immediate reforms are underway, including new training protocols to make sure that similar lapses in responding to complaints do not occur in the future.Β Unfortunately, it is too late for the man who lost his life because of unaddressed problems with the elevator.
Everyone deserves a safe premises, and a big part of keeping an apartment building safe is making sure the elevator does not present a fall hazard. When an elevator malfunctions and causes an accident that could have been prevented, victims or their surviving family members should speak with Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff to find out their options for getting compensation for losses caused by elevator accidents.