Illinois Injury Law Blog

A Chicago woman was killed after she stepped off the elevator in her 12th-floor apartment on Lake Shore Drive, according to the Chicago Tribune. The recent Illinois elevator accident underscored the need for fire sensors in these elevators and more strict safety code enforcement. She was killed as she returned to her apartment. She got to the 12th floor and the elevator doors opened, exposing her to 1,500-degree temperatures from gas and fire fumes. According to Charles Buckman, a 56-year veteran of the elevator industry, an elevator accident like this should never have happened. He says that national engineering code required elevators to come equipped with fire sensors on every floor and in the motor room so that the elevators shut off and return to the bottom floor in the event of an emergency.

“They must not have been fitted with sensors. Or else they got away with murder. Literally,” Buckman told the newspaper.

Our Chicago elevator lawyers understand that elevators and escalators are a part of many peoples' everyday lives. We don't typically think about the safety and maintenance of these devices, but rather assume that they are up to code and safe to ride. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Both elevators and escalators have a safety standard they must meet with a long list of safety requirements. When safe-riding conditions of these devices are not met, fatal accidents can result. If you or someone you love has been injured in an escalator or elevator accident, it is critical for you to contact an experienced attorney to help you to fight for the compensation you deserve. Legal representation can help you determine who was at fault in the accident.

The scene of the recent fatal Chicago elevator accident was a 21-story building that was not required to meet the safety codes established in 1975. According to building department spokesman Bill McCaffney, the building was built in the 1950s and therefore was exempt from meeting current safety codes. Had this building met current safety codes, this fatal accident could have been avoided.

The building was scheduled to be brought up to code through an ordinance that would have required the old building to have an alarm system throughout the entire place. This would have triggered the elevators to move to the bottom floor and shut down in the event of an emergency. City officials voted to push back the measure until 2015.

Buckman says even the older buildings throughout the city are supposed to have fire sensors that should cause the elevators to shut off in the event of an emergency. He says the elevator shouldn't have even been running during this accident.

Nine other building residents were injured in this fire.