Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree but there will always be a chance machines and technology won't function properly, so you still need to be observant. Even with careful maintenance these things can malfunction. They're machines and statistically they're going to fail at some point, somewhere. Even though I should expect elevators to work properly I know that they may not always, and I don't like elevators to begin with so personally I am pretty cautious with them. I'm not going to be an idiot and step onto or into things without paying attention just because they "should" work. I'm even careful on escalators.
It does seem in this situation though that the elevators weren't looked at diligently enough. There was probably negligence.
On the part of both parties. The business should have had the elevator blocked off to make it impossible for people to enter the shaft. The mother should have been watching where she was going so she didn't push the stroller into a huge hole. I'm not saying the mother did not suffer a devastating loss; just that she was not being completely attentive. In any event, she will win a big settlement from a lawsuit.
.......... But when an elevator door opens most of us just assume the floor is there. Perhaps we shouldn't, but that doesn't make what happened suspicious.
I suspect that isn't correct. I think that when an elevator door opens, the majority of people look to see if there is room in the elevator, that there isn't anyone dangerous already in the elevator, and that the elevator has stopped level with the floor, before they step inside. Maybe no one is thinking that the elevator won't be there, but most people do look before they step in and would notice the space was dark and had a big cable hanging down in the middle of it, instead of being lit and paneled.
Probably it was an accident, but she very likely didn't just walk in. With our modern society, she probably had her nose buried in her phone texting. People who are texting run into light poles and into cars, so it isn't outside possibility that she was texting. I don't think it was deliberate, but I do think there is some parental responsibility in this.
I suspect that isn't correct. I think that when an elevator door opens, the majority of people look to see if there is room in the elevator, that there isn't anyone dangerous already in the elevator, and that the elevator has stopped level with the floor, before they step inside. Maybe no one is thinking that the elevator won't be there, but most people do look before they step in and would notice the space was dark and had a big cable hanging down in the middle of it, instead of being lit and paneled.
Probably it was an accident, but she very likely didn't just walk in. With our modern society, she probably had her nose buried in her phone texting. People who are texting run into light poles and into cars, so it isn't outside possibility that she was texting. I don't think it was deliberate, but I do think there is some parental responsibility in this.
Are you really serious... this was the blame of whoever takes to do with that building and its safety not this woman.. there was no sign up on the elevator door to warn people.. and shouldnt the doors been jammed shut.. it would only take a second for this lady to push her pram through the doors.. thats all it would take for it and her to plunge to the bottom..
This is much more common than you'd think. My best friend is a lawyer at a firm in NYC that specializes JUST in elevator accidents. They are not the only such firm, and they're not small. As she's explained it to me, there are lots of old elevators in the city as well as lots of sketchy landlords who fail to do full maintenance. You just don't hear about most of the incidents because typically the parties are injured rather than killed.
Tragic, but something big is missing from this story. The part about "when the doors opened" is odd because the landing doors on almost all--maybe all elevators--are operated by powered actuators mounted on the elevator car, not the outer doors. The landing doors don't have any power. So it's curious that the doors opened without the elevator car anywhere nearby.
By instinct, most people just step into/out of an elevator when it opens--not expecting it to open to a void. It's pure negligence on the part of the building's maintenance staff that there was no sign on the elevator door stating that it was out of order. Obviously they knew the elevator wasn't working since there was a repairman there.
With all due sympathy to the woman and her child, some of the responses on this thread make me think a lot of Americans should be wearing helmets if they are allowed outside unaccompanied.
People need to be aware of their surroundings and take some responsibility for their own safety. Look both ways when crossing the street, look into an elevator before entering, drive defensively, don't stab your face with your fork when eating, when putting on shoes, toes go in first.
Take some responsibility for your own basic safety. Society cannot control every eventuality.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
