The elevator company accused of negligence in the horrifying death of a Madison Avenue ad executive has fired five workers. Only one of the employees was identified: Michael Hill, an elevator mechanic who allegedly forgot to remove a “jump wire” that allowed the lift to move with its doors open. (Hill insists he did remove the jump wire.) Minutes after workers left the elevator to take a break, Suzanne Hart was crushed to death as the elevator shot up with the doors open. more ›

The city's Department of Buildings released the results of its investigation into the horrific elevator accident that killed an advertising executive at a Madison Avenue office building in December. As expected, the elevator maintenance company Transel is being blamed for the malfunction, and the city has suspended its license and will move to have it revoked entirely. According to the report (embedded below), video footage shows Transel workers leaving the building at 9: 55 a.m. One minute later, Suzanne Hart was crushed to death as two other employees looked on in horror. more ›

Officials say it's becoming more apparent that the freak elevator death of ad executive Suzanne Hart last month was connected to maintenance work done on the lift on the morning of her death. Last week sources told DNAinfo that the company, Transel Elevator Inc., did not inform the Buildings Department that it had finished work on the elevator that killed Hart—and if it had, one final independent inspection would have been triggered by a city inspector. Now Department of Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri has gone on record saying Transel is to blame. more ›

The elevator company being probed in the freak death of ad exec Suzanne Hart did not follow basic rules governing elevator maintenance, sources tell DNAinfo. The website's well-connected investigative reporter Murray Weiss does not say where his sources are leaking from, but what they're telling him is damning: Transel Elevator Inc. did not inform the Buildings Department that it had finished work on the elevator that killed Hart—if it had, one final independent inspection would have been triggered by the a city inspector. more ›

Investigators are still working to establish the cause of a freak elevator accident that crushed an advertising executive to death last month at the Y&R offices on Madison Avenue. The elevator company contracted to do maintenance on the elevators, Transel, had been working on the lift hours before Suzanne Hart was killed, but it's still unclear what caused accident. As one Y&R employee told us the day of the accident, it's an old building and the elevators "are a bit buggy sometimes." You can say that again: according to newly revealed Department of Buildings records, the old elevators at 285 Madison had bugs galore. more ›

A fitness trainer who was badly injured in a freak elevator accident in November has filed a lawsuit against the landlord of his building and two elevator companies—and, yup, one of the companies is Transel, whom you may recall from such horrifying elevator accidents as the woman who was crushed to death at her Madison Avenue office building last month. Corey Hill, a dancer and beloved fitness trainer known for his high energy and enthusiasm, saw his life radically change on November 11th after he stepped onto the elevator in his midtown west apartment building and pressed the button for the lobby. That's when the car started free-falling. more ›

The company in charge of maintaining the 285 Madison Avenue elevator that killed an advertising executive on December 14 has other legal problems: According to the Post, "There are at least eight active cases against Transel, including a suit brought by a Union Square building super who plunged down an elevator shaft when he stepped through doors that opened before the cab arrived." more ›

Investigators are looking into whether human error, or perhaps a "billion-to-one power surge," caused the horrifying death of a Madison Ave ad executive last week. The company that maintained the elevator, Transel, was performing maintenance on it hours before Suzanne Hart was killed. Transel's spokesman says the company is cooperating with the investigation, but meanwhile reporters are digging into Transel's track record: It seems another woman was badly injured in one of their elevators, and she's suing. more ›

Investigators trying to determine what caused Wednesday's horrific elevator death in a Madison Avenue building are focusing on a maintenance company that was working on the elevator hours before the malfunction. A Buildings Department spokesman says the company, Transel Elevator, had sent an unlicensed worker to do electrical work that morning. Why was the worker unlicensed? Well, as you may or may not know, you DON'T NEED A LICENSE TO WORK ON AN ELEVATOR IN NYC. As one union rep tells the Times, "Anyone with a set of tools can work on an elevator." Food for thought as you're climbing the stairs today. more ›