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Elevator Falls from Sixth Floor to Basement

081308shaft.jpgA 22-year-old woman was hospitalized last night with a head injury after falling six floors in an apartment building elevator, NY1 reports. After visiting her neighbor on the sixth floor of 90 Pinehurst Street in Washington Heights, Jessica Carter entered an elevator which malfunctioned and crashed to the basement. No details yet on the extent of her injuries, but she was admitted to St. Luke's Hospital around midnight with head injuries. And residents in the building are outraged because a few months ago the elevator fell from the first floor to the basement, hospitalizing one resident. The building's superintendent denies any prior problems with the elevator, but the Department of Buildings is investigating. And we'll be taking the stairs today.

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Comments [rss]

  • MSWCU

    This elevator has been problematic since I moved in two years ago. The management has been covering up for themselves and could care less about us; instead, they're letting the building go. Why, I don't know, but they have a lot of trouble now.... Also, the building has not had cooking gas for FOUR MONTHS!

  • everyAframe

    elevator-go-boom money!

  • Spleenhg

    yes, I love looking up things on Everyblock.com and also the Dept. of Buildings site http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/home/home.shtml

    to view the violations, permits, and and tiny fines issued for non-compliance. And the beat goes on...

  • whitecastlerock

    I am glad the Department of Buildings will follow up on this open complaint after someone winds up in the hospital. Thanks spleenhg for the informative link!

  • JRod5417

    "The building was cited for a very dangerous elevator on January 28th, 2008. They never resolved the problem, and it seems there was no follow-up."

    So, how soon will the lawsuit be filed. Ka-ching.

  • Spleenhg

    The building was cited for a very dangerous elevator on January 28th, 2008. They never resolved the problem, and it seems there was no follow-up.

    http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/ECBQueryByNumberServlet?ecbin=38181379X

  • hungryghoast

    ok. officially taking the stairs for the rest of the day.

  • CR

    Snoopy - likely she hit her head when it crashed into the basement.

  • Snoopy

    Elevators are dangerous things. I know one guy who was left handicapped after falling down a shaft and another that was killed. Nasty stuff.

    At least now they have closed the hatchway so you can't climb out and get on the top of an elevator to surf. How did she suffer a head injury? Normally it's legs or ankles.

  • gemio

    pinehurst avenue, not street

  • BigRed

    Yes, elevators are supposed to have a mechanism to prevent them from hitting the bottom like that if they start falling suddenly. I wonder why this one failed.

  • Cacheton

    What a nightmare!

  • Sinchy

    I thought elevators had breaks that automatically deployed via some kind of gyroscope at a sudden drop.

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