Elevator Maintenance Expert Discusses Trip and Fall From Misleveled Elevator Cab

This case involves a man who was injured when he fell out of an elevator that had misleveled. The man had taken the elevator to a lower floor of a skyscraper in the course of his employment as a custodian. When the elevator doors opened, he tripped and violently fell to the ground as the floor of the elevator stopped below the floor of the foyer. In the days before this accident occurred, there several reported problems including misleveling with that particular elevator. The elevator maintenance company happened to attend on the day in question for an unknown reason and the elevator remained out of service until one hour prior to the man’s fall when the mechanic left the premises. Misleveling was noted shortly after his fall and the elevator was taken out of service again.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Please describe your experience in elevator maintenance and/or design.

2. What is the standard of care for performing maintenance on active elevators?

Expert Witness Response E-154699

I have been in the elevator industry for 38 years and I hold a valid license issued by a major national standards board. I have experience in both elevator maintenance and design. The standard protocol for performing maintenance on active elevators is a complex issue and it is dependent on a few factors, one of which is the age of the building. In simple terms, older elevator systems implemented from the 60s and 70s are more prone to mislevelling for numerous reasons, and the owner of the building would be responsible for ensuring that the elevators are operating safely. Newer elevator systems are much easier to maintain and it would be the mechanic's responsibility to make sure an issue is fixed before leaving the building.