Dallas, TX – Elevator technician dies after fatal fall into open hoistway

A 45-year-old elevator mechanic from Mesquite, Texas, died after falling approximately 20-feet into an open hoistway at the parking garage of 1515 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas, around 8 p.m. Friday, November 1, 2013. The elevator technician, whose name was not yet released by authorities, was apparently servicing equipment in a mechanical room adjacent to the open shaft when he fell. The Dallas Fire Department urban search and rescue team was dispatched to recover the victim, who was declared dead on arrival by the responding paramedics. A spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department said they did not know what caused him to fall, but indicated that it appeared to be an accident, and that Dallas homicide detectives and OSHA were investigating. Continue reading

Denver, CO – Broncos fan severely injured after falling from escalator at Sports Authority Field

An adult male was severely injured on August 30, 2013, around 9:30p.m., when he apparently fell from an escalator at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The stadium was hosting a pre-season game between the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals when the incident occurred. Denver police released few details about the man, the extent of his injuries, or whether alcohol may have been a factor. However police did confirm that they were investigating the incident as an accident, and that the victim was conscious and breathing when he was transported to a nearby hospital after suffering serious injuries from his fall. ABC7, The Denver Channel, reported that eyewitnesses stated that the man may have suffered from a medical condition which caused him to lose his balance. Continue reading

New Delhi, Delhi, India – Nine people injured after apartment building falls one floor

Nine people suffered minor injuries around 2:50 p.m. local time, June 18, 2013, when an elevator in an apartment building in New Delhi, Delhi, India apparently “slipped” one floor, falling from the fourth floor before stopping suddenly at the third floor. The victims were all taken to a nearby hospital, where they received first aid and were released. No information was available regarding the cause of the malfunction. Continue reading

Tampa, FL – Man suffers fatal fall down elevator hoistway at Tampa International Airport

Chad Wolfe, a 31-year-old auto mechanic from West Newtown, Pennsylvania, was found dead around 3 a.m. on March 15, 2013, after he apparently fell down an elevator hoistway at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida. Initial reports noted that the victim was intoxicated and behaving erratically, including climbing on a tree in the airport lobby, moments before the accident occurred. The medical examiner’s report noted that the victim had an “oil-like substance” on his hands, and that the investigating detective noted that it appeared the victim “forced open [the] elevator door to gain entry into the elevator shaft.” Continue reading

Mount Vernon, NY – 11 year-old boy falls down elevator shaft

According to NBC New York, an 11-year old boy fell three floors down an elevator shaft around 12:30pm on Sunday, December 9, 2012. According to police, the victim and other young boys were playing in the building hallway when “the elevator doors unexpectedly opened and one of the boys fell in”. The condition of the boy was not immediately clear, but presumably the boy was hospitalized and sustained serious injury. Continue reading

Bellevue, WA – 24 year old man dies after three story fall from shopping mall escalator

According to Bellevue Patch, a 24-year-old man died after falling three stories at Lincoln Square shopping center in Bellevue, Washington. A police spokeswoman stated that the man, identified as Joel Bush, attempted to ride the escalator by sitting and balancing on the handrail. The man apparently lost his balance and fell backward into the atrium, falling sixty feet. According to police, alcohol was initially suspected to be a factor but ultimately did not appear to contribute to the man’s death. Continue reading

Bronx, NY – Man moving mattress falls down freight elevator shaft

Joseph Ryan, a 35 year-old man died around 11 p.m. Monday after plunging two stories down a freight elevator shaft in an apartment building located on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The man was moving into a new apartment and was apparently walking backwards and carrying a mattress at the lobby level when the incident occurred. The man fell down to the basement level and suffered injuries that he succumbed to after being transported to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital.Although the victim was not working at the time, he apparently worked for a private elevator contractor during the day. The New York City Department of Buildings investigated the accident and determined that the victim had apparently used a drop key to open the hoistway door and gain access to the elevator for at least one prior trip on the elevator. Continue reading

Shiodome, Tokyo, Japan – 45 year-old man suffers fatal fall after leaning against escalator handrail

Satoshi Katayama was killed in April 2009 after he leaned backwards against an escalator handrail which then lifted him off his feet and over the the handrail, dropping him to his death into an open atrium nearly 30 feet high. Surveillance video of the incident depicts the victim briefly leaning against the handrail before being carried over the balustrade and falling to his death. Continue reading