A deadly elevator accident in New York City on Christmas Eve has spurred NYC council members to take another look at the laws surrounding elevator safety.
In 2015, 84-year-old Olegario Pabon died after getting caught half-in and half-out of a lurching elevator inside the Boston Road Houses in The Bronx. The City’s Department of Investigation uncovered several safety deficiencies which contributed to his tragic death-most notably that a failsafe device had been disabled prior to the Bronx elevator accident.
In addition, the NYCHA, which operates the housing complex in question, was notified about the malfunctioning lift an hour and a half before the man was killed but did nothing about it. Now lawmakers are hoping that future legislation can prevent such tragic elevator accidents from happening in New York City ever again.
One bill under consideration would require annual inspection and repair of car braking systems. Another notion under consideration is requiring the installation of brake monitoring systems in every residential elevator. These brake monitoring systems are important because the car braking systems often either fail or are improperly installed or maintained. In fact, just one month prior to this fatal elevator accident in the Bronx another man was injured because of a faulty car braking system.
Perhaps one of the most important potential changes in the works would appoint a watchdog agency to police the NYCHA and ensure it is living up to all of the necessary building standards and hold the agency responsible for ignored warnings and alleged safety violations.
If you’ve been injured by a faulty elevator inside a residential or office building, an experienced New York City elevator accident attorney may be able to get you the financial compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering, unpaid medical expenses and lost wages.