A 12-year old girl suffered a traumatic experience just last month. She fell over 30 feet down an elevator shaft in Manhattan. Samaritans at the scene told reporters she was lying motionless on her back at the bottom of the shaft and the elevator was immediately taken out of service to avoid crushing the little girl. The Manhattan elevator accident was the first of its kind this year and though the girl suffered numerous injuries, she survived the fall and is recovering from her ordeal.
Witnesses say the girl was in the lobby of the co-op at 41 Crosby Street in SoHo with her mother when she plunged an estimated 35 feet from the ground floor into the subbasement of the building. Firefighters responded immediately but had a difficult time rescuing the girl because of the tight confines at the bottom of the elevator shaft. She was eventually extracted and taken to Bellevue hospital with multiple serious injuries.
While it is immediately clear how the young girl was able to gain entry into the elevator shaft, the elevator in that particular building was cited for code violations just last December. Recherche Realty Inc., who operates the building, was fined $250 for failing to keep the elevator in question in good repair. The reported violations included oil spills, fluid leaks, and expired inspection tags.
While further investigation is required to determine how the girl happened to fall down the elevator shaft, if negligence in maintaining the elevator is found, Recherche Realty could be held liable for the girl’s injuries and be ordered to pay her medical and rehabilitation expenses along with a monetary sum for pain and suffering.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an elevator accident in New York, contact a qualified personal injury attorney today to discuss your case. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.