Man is crushed to death by falling elevator in New York City
This screenshot from NY Daily News shows witness 23-year-old Manuel Coronado, left, and 43-year-old Erude Sanchez.
NEW YORK » A falling elevator trapped and crushed a man to death on New Year’s Eve, and witnesses said he helped a woman to safety before losing his own life.
The man, identified as Stephen Hewett-Brown, 25, was riding the lower Manhattan elevator around midnight when it malfunctioned. He was able to push a woman out of the lift and onto one of the building’s floors before getting pinned between the elevator car and the shaft as he tried to escape himself, witnesses said.
They said he wished onlookers a happy new year before he died from his injuries. Witness Manuel Coronado said he tried to help Hewett-Brown but couldn’t lift him out.
“He was saying, ‘I can’t breathe.’ I tried to pull him up, but he said, ‘Leave me here, leave me here,’” Coronado told the Daily News of New York.
The New York Police Department said the victim was unconscious, suffering from severe body trauma, when officers arrived shortly after midnight. A police spokesman said he had no information on the exact circumstances of Hewett-Brown’s death, but the department says no criminality is suspected.
The city Buildings Department was investigating the accident. It came after a string of complaints and violation notices over the years about the Broome Street high-rise’s three elevators, Buildings Department records show. They indicate it was inspected as recently as September and that a violation notice concerning the up-and-down lights was unresolved as of Thursday.
“The elevators were a problem and needed to be fixed,” former Tenants Association President Dashia Imperiale told WABC-TV, saying the lifts sometimes lurch up and down. But another resident, Zin Halcomb, told the station he felt the building was well-maintained.
Messages left for the property manager weren’t immediately returned Friday.
Meanwhile, a friend of the victim’s, Ejiro Omenih, was absorbing the news of his death and the accounts of his life-saving actions.
“I feel that that alone shows his character,” Omenih told WABC-TV.
He said Hewlett-Brown was an aspiring musician who played piano and performed hip-hop and soul.
Brown’s mother told the Daily News the family declined to comment.
———
Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com
7 responses to “Man is crushed to death by falling elevator in New York City”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
More details, please. I wonder if he would still be alive had he just stayed inside the elevator and waited for help.
Only under rare circumstances will someone be injured by remaining in the elevator until help arrives. It’s best to stay put until an elevator repairman lets you out. Unless fire is present, firemen should wait as well, unless health issues require immediate rescue.
The title of this story was completely misleading. At first thought someone stuck INSIDE an elevator died because the elevator cab came crashing down to the bottom floor like in the movie Speed. Farthest from the truth, the passengers attempted to try get out on their own of a malfunctioning elevator and when the elevator moved that resulted in his death. As other pointed out despite lack of immediatel help, it is a really bad idea to try to get out on your own of a malfunctioning elevator cause you never know if it will move while trying to escape. Likelihood of an elevator breaking all of its safety cables and safety brakes and free falling to the bottom of the shaft is slim to none. Maybe some are claustrophobic of being stuck in an elevator but they need to overcome the urge to get immediately get out.
Frequently the SA has inaccurate titles for their articles. Thanks now I don’t have to read it. Sounds like you would make a better writer.
My doctor always told me to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
I am sure you are attempting to be funny as usual. Have you ever been to NYC? The buildings are really tall.
Sad story — day of celebration turned tragic. Condolences to the man’s family and friends. Yes, the headline is misleading and the writing bad. What is this: “Meanwhile, a friend of the victim’s . . “