The NY Times has a sad update about the family of the 5-year-old boy who fell to his death when a housing project elevator malfunctioned last year. The Times says, with the family of Jacob Neuman (pictured) is suing the Housing Authority for negligence, the HA wants to interview Jacob's brother, 9-year-old Israel who witnessed his brother fall from the 10th floor. However, his parents' lawyer has asked a judge to waive the testimony. The Neumans are worried about Israel's state of mind—"in play therapy, he drew an elevator shaft with red at the bottom," though he acts out against classmates, kids consider him a "rachmoonus" (pity) case— and a court-appointed psychologist wrote, "His defenses are so brittle that when thoughts regarding the incident reach or are introduced into his consciousness, he becomes despondent and he desperately defends against them. It is quite possible, given his present state, that serious mental decomposition may occur. That this will occur is not certain; if it does, it will be devastating indeed." The Housing Authority has a bad track record elevators; there are other lawsuits against the HA over elevator maintenance. more ›

A study released yesterday showed that the elevator in the Williamsburg building where 5-year-old Jacob Neuman died last month had failed 17 of its previous 21 Housing Authority inspections. That elevator was also supposed to be renovated back in 2004, but it was put off twice due to spending cutbacks. The renovation would have provided the elevator with a door restrictor that doesn't allow doors to be opened while the elevator is in between floors, a device that could have saved Jacob's life. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer plans to propose legislation requiring restrictors, saying, "It is unacceptable that the lack of a $400 device might have cost a human life." The study found that in the last five years 75% of Housing Authority elevator inspections resulted in "unsatisfactory" ratings in what Stringer called "a culture of neglect." more ›

Today's NY Daily News paints a scary picture of the operating conditions inside some of the worst elevators within Housing Authority projects, comparing them to a ride on the House of Horrors or the Cyclone. Their survey of the ten worst elevators in city projects produced a laundry list of horrific situations such as one where the outer door simply wouldn't open and residents risked losing fingers while jimmying the door open to get out, buildings where tenants are forced to climb a 14-story urine soaked staircase and cross roofs and one where a woman with a young daughter with cerebral palsy had to call police in order to get the child and her groceries up the stairs while both elevators were out. Meanwhile prosecutors are still investigating the death of Jacob Neuman, the five-year-old who died trying to jump out of a stuck elevator in a Williamsburg Housing Authority project last month. more ›