Building Owner Fined Over Fatal Elevator Incident

Georgia state investigators, citing possible contributing factors in an Atlanta elevator incident that killed a teenager, have hit the owner of the building with a US$5,000 fine, 11Alive reported on September 22. The 18-year-old victim was in Atlanta to take part in a program for high school graduates who hope to receive football scholarships to attend college. He was in a residence-type building northeast of Downtown Atlanta and was getting out of the elevator when it suddenly fell, pinning him between the second and third floors. Fire rescue personnel were able to extract him from the entrapment, and he was taken to a hospital next door, where he died. A citation against the building owner lists violations of state rules and regulations for “operating equipment without an operating certificate” and “operating equipment in an unsafe condition.” State records showed the elevator’s inspection certificate expired in August 2020, a full year before the incident. Possible factors that may have contributed to the incident include the car being overloaded, possible oil and excessive wear on the brake pads and the failure of a rope gripper.