UPDATE: New York elevator firm sued after fatal accident

In a prior post, we reported the news that a woman had lost her life on a New York elevator on Dec. 14. The woman had stepped onto the elevator at the same moment that it spontaneously began to rise. The 41-year-old woman was crushed between the floor of the elevator and the ceiling above.

Almost immediately after the fatal accident occurred, there was speculation as to whether or not faulty repair work was to blame for causing the accident. An inspection report had been conducted on June 16, 2011 which noted that there was a “defect found” although it was unclear as to what the defect referred to.

Speculation as to the quality of the repair work conducted on the elevator only a few hours before the fatal accident has increased this week after a lawsuit was filed against the company responsible for maintaining the elevator.

The lawsuit was filed in connection with a different elevator accident that injured a New York Plaza hotel housekeeper. The complaint was filed with the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Dec. 27, 2011. The complaint named Transel Elevator Inc. as the defendant in the lawsuit. According to the complaint, the Plaza freight elevator rapidly descended with the housekeeper on board. It fell and came to “a sudden and violent stop.”

The connection between the elevator accidents and the elevator firm has prompted the New York City Department of Buildings to expand their investigation of the Dec. 14 fatal accident. The department is currently investigating several elevators around New York City that were serviced by the same company.

Source: Bloomberg, “Elevator Firm in Fatal N.Y. Accident Sued Over Plaza Injury,” David McLaughlin, Dec. 30, 2011