“Failure to Follow Basic (Elevator) Safety Procedures” Results in Homicide Charge in NYC

A 67-year-old elevator mechanic was charged with criminally negligent homicide in the February 2021 death of a 25-year-old apprentice mechanic at a Bronx building where they were performing an elevator modernization for their NYC-based employer, AP News is among outlets to report. “Failure to follow basic safety procedures” caused the elevator to fall six stories and crush the apprentice. Prosecutors said the men were replacing steel ropes between the elevator cabin and shaft when the older mechanic told the apprentice to go down to the pit. The apprentice secured the counterweight and cut through the ropes with a saw, causing the cabin to fall and crush him. Prosecutors said the older mechanic failed to carry out a procedure called “hanging the cabin” that prevents an elevator from falling when ropes are cut and removed the governor that would have triggered the elevator’s braking system. The replacement governor did not fit and, instead of reinstalling the old governor, the mechanic continued to work. “If safety measures had been followed, the victim would still be alive today,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark observed.