Report: Safety device was disabled on NYC elevator
A woman was killed in a freak elevator mishap at a Madison Avenue office building, police and fire officials said. (Dec. 14, 2011) Credit: AP
Investigators say an important elevator safety mechanism was turned off when an advertising executive was crushed to death at a Manhattan office building.
The city investigation and buildings departments released the findings Monday.
Suzanne Hart was killed when an elevator started rising with its doors open Dec. 14. She was dragged between the car and the wall.
Workers had adjusted the elevator that morning. A mechanic told investigators he'd temporarily overridden a system that prevented the elevator from moving with its doors open. He told investigators the mechanism was back online before Hart arrived.
But the report says the mechanism "was apparently bypassed at the time of the fatal incident."
The mechanic's lawyer says he's been completely cooperative with the investigation.
There was no immediate response from Transel Elevator Inc.
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