Fatal falls due to lift malfunction, neglect

LUCKNOW : Elevators are a boon, especially when high-rise apartment culture is on the rise. But these can be risky if not maintained properly. We sum up some fatal mishaps that occurred either due to lift malfunction or due to sheer negligence of lift operators.

JUNE 19, 2016

A 4-year-old boy died of suffocation after his neck got stuck in the channel of the lift of his apartment on Jopling road.

This incident tops the list of cases that raised a question mark over the regular maintenance of elevators. It came to light when a resident, who stayed on the 10th floor of the same apartment, raised an alarm after finding the boy stuck in the lift. By the time help came, the boy was no more.

AUGUST 13, 2015

A woman patient got stuck in the elevator of KGMU’s Trauma Centre. The patient, Shiv Kanti, 25, was referred to the Trauma Ventilator Unit from the Queen Mary’s hospital after she delivered a child. A resident of Lakhimpur Kheri, she was accompanied by her husband Krishna Kumar and KGMU staff while being taken to the third floor of trauma centre when the elevator got stuck midway around 4.15 am. By the time, the help reached, the patient died.

AUGUST 17, 2016

An employee died after falling into the lift shaft in Mandi Parishad in Vibhuti Khand area Lucknow. Kamlesh Kumar Srivastava, 45, who worked as a fireman at the Mandi Parishad office went to the first floor for some work. Once he was done, he pressed the lift button. A little later, the lift door opened and assuming the lift cabin inside he stepped inside, only to fall from a height of 29 ft. Other officials rushed him to the Lohia Hospital where he was declared dead. The Mandi Parishad ordered probe into the matter and issued a statement that due technical snag, the cabin of the lift didn’t reach the floor.

March 27, 2015

In Prayagraj, a 12-year-old boy fell into the lift shaft while playing and died. The incident was reported at a plush apartment in Civil lines area of Prayagraj. Another incident was reported in an apartment in Indirapuram locality of Ghaziabad where a man died after falling into the lift shaft from the sixth floor.