Category Archives: United States

St. Petersburg, FL – Worker crushed while removing fluid from hydraulic elevator pit

A Northdale, Florida man was fatally crushed around 10:30 a.m. on April 24, 2013, while removing oil and water from the pit of a hydraulic elevator at the TradeWinds Resort Hotel. The victim and a co-worker, who was not injured, were cleaning out the pit subsequent to an elevator inspection two days prior that noted the pit contained excessive fluid. St. Petersburg Beach Fire Chief Ernie Hand described Johnson as apparently standing halfway between the ground floor landing and the interior of the elevator shaft when the elevator descended on top of him, crushing him. The elevator may have been improperly locked out at the time of the incident. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and OSHA are investigating. Continue reading →

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Schaumburg, IL – Three elderly victims suffer minor injuries in escalator mishap

According to the Chicago Tribune, two women and one man, all in their 80s, suffered cuts and abrasions during an escalator accident that occurred at 11:08 a.m., Saturday, March 23, 2013 in the Nordstrom department store at the Woodfield Mall. For an unknown reason, not currently attributed to any mechanical malfunction, the male victim started to fall and attempted to grab his wife to regain his balance. Unfortunately, his wife then fell and toppled onto the third victim. Continue reading →

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Tampa, FL – Man suffers fatal fall down elevator hoistway at Tampa International Airport

Chad Wolfe, a 31-year-old auto mechanic from West Newtown, Pennsylvania, was found dead around 3 a.m. on March 15, 2013, after he apparently fell down an elevator hoistway at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida. Initial reports noted that the victim was intoxicated and behaving erratically, including climbing on a tree in the airport lobby, moments before the accident occurred. The medical examiner’s report noted that the victim had an “oil-like substance” on his hands, and that the investigating detective noted that it appeared the victim “forced open [the] elevator door to gain entry into the elevator shaft.” Continue reading →

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San Francisco, CA – Man fatally crushed in BART elevator shaft

According to the Huffington Post, a man was crushed by an elevator in San Francisco’s BART subway station on Monday, March 11, 2013. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain somewhat unclear, but the report indicates that a passenger boarded the elevator and registered a cab call in the up direction before hearing “a crunching sound and a man yelp.” The elevator then stopped with that passenger entrapped. The entrapped passenger called for help, and after being successfully rescued, authorities searched the hoistway and found the victim, who was immediately pronounced dead. Strangely, BART Police Lieutenant John Conneely indicated that “the man may have been sleeping atop the elevator” but that it was unclear how he entered the hoistway or how long he had been inside. Continue reading →

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Upper West Side, NY – One-year old boy trips, get hand stuck in escalator

According to WABC 7 Eyewitness News, a 21-month old boy got his hand stuck between two steps in an escalator after he tripped and fell around 10:48a.m., Friday, February 22, 2013. The boy was riding with an adult on the escalator, located inside a Barnes & Noble bookstore at the corner of Broadway and 82nd Street when the incident occurred. According to an unnamed employee, the escalator automatically stopped shortly after the boy’s hand became entrapped. The boy was able to free himself shortly thereafter. Firefighters arrived and treated the boy at the scene for a hand laceration. Continue reading →

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Atlanta, GA – Worker gets ladder, foot trapped in mall escalator

According to WSB-TV Channel 2 Atlanta, a sprinkler technician was injured around 10 a.m., Thursday, February 21, 2013, when a ladder he was carrying became wedged in an escalator, creating a gap wide enough for his foot to enter and become entrapped. The man and a partner were transporting the ladder from the P2 level to the P3 level when the ladder became wedged between two of the steps, creating a gap between the step and the skirt panel. The victim’s foot was entrapped in the escalator’s skirt for approximately one hour, until fire fighters responded and used heavy equipment and a “cribbing” technique to provide a gap wide enough to allow the man’s foot to be pulled back out. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital. Continue reading →

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Jersey City, NJ – Malfunctioning PATH escalator runs backwards, injuring six

Multiple news sources are reporting that at around 9 a.m. Monday, January 7, 2013, an escalator at the Exchange Place PATH station malfunctioned while numerous commuters were on board, leading to several injuries. The incident, which was partially caught on video and posted to YouTube (full story includes video), depicts one of the station’s escalators, which was running upwards, suddenly reversed direction, as passengers piled up at the bottom and others tried to walk upwards to avoid getting dumped at the bottom landing. At least one man in the video appeared to have jumped on and clung to the balustrade between the escalators. Between four and six victims suffered mostly minor injuries such as cuts and bruises, although at least one victim was hospitalized. Continue reading →

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East Harlem, NY – Elderly man in critical condition after elevator crushes his legs

According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, an 85 year-old man was left in critical condition after an elevator in his public housing apartment building crushed both his legs around 5 p.m. Sunday, December 30, 2012. Firefighters reported that when they arrived, the elevator was stuck between the first and second floor, with the man’s body inside the cab, and his legs dangling outside the cab on the first floor. Firefighters used air bags and other extrication methods to free the man’s legs and pull him up into the elevator cab. The victim was rushed to nearby Harlem Hospital where he was listed in critical condition, with both of his legs fractured. Continue reading →

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Chester, PA – Elevator mechanic struck, killed by falling dumbwaiter at Harrah’s Philadelphia

According to ABC 6 Action News, an elevator mechanic working on a dumbwaiter at Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania, was killed when the dumbwaiter unexpectedly fell on top of him. The accident occurred around 4 p.m., Saturday, December 29, 2012. The 52 year-old victim from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was an elevator contractor, not a casino employee. The incident dumbwaiter was used to deliver food to restaurants within the casino. Continue reading →

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Washington Heights, NY – Building superintendent trapped in pit, suffers head injury

According to the New York Post, the superintendent at a building in Washington Heights was seriously injured Thursday, August 16, 2012 when he was struck in the head by an elevator counterweight. The victim, whose name was not immediately released, went in the pit around 8:40 a.m. in order to retrieve keys that a tenant had accidentally dropped through the gap between the floor sills. The elevator had apparently ascended to the sixth floor as the counterweight descended into the pit, striking the victim’s head. Continue reading →

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