Inspection Report May Have Hinted at Elevator Defect

Fatal elevator accidents are uncommon – fewer than 30 in the United States annually. As a result, most of us seldom think about the possibility of an accident. However, they do occur, as evidenced by a grisly elevator accident that occurred Wednesday at a building on Madison Avenue.

The elevator rose as a passenger, a 41 year-old woman, was stepping into the cab. The victim was crushed between the elevator and the shaft wall. Two witnesses were being treated for trauma after seeing the accident. A similar accident occurred in California last week.

The building, which houses the famed advertising agency Young and Rubicam, was last inspected for compliance with elevator regulations on June 16, 2011. In its inspection report, the department of buildings noted that a defect was found. However, the nature of that defect was not described in the report. The building is owned by Young and Rubicam’s parent company, WPP PLC.

There are approximately 10,000 non-fatal elevator accidents in the U.S. each year.

Source: ABC News, “Woman Crushed in New York Elevator Accident“, by Richard Espositor and Christina Ng, Dec. 14, 2011.