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Elevator Inspections and Maintenance - Were they performed? What is going on in Ames, Iowa?

By Steve Lombardi

I reported about an elevator incident in Ames, Iowa and today we post a follow-up about this elevator shaft fall and 'accidental death' at Campustown in Ames, Iowa. First let's look at an elevator incident in Las Vegas and then a CNBC Report that discussed elevator maintenance and inspections. If you watch the entire news clip you will wonder about whether inspections are actually performed as they are supposed to be and is maintenance being properly and timely performed? In these economic times are landlords attempting to save costs by doing limited inspections? Couple that with the Ames Police Department investigation report and photographs not being publicly release and you'll be forced to ask, why not?

What is going in little Ames, Iowa?

See our post at Ames, Iowa: 19-year-old falls seven stories down elevator shaft of working elevator, June 8, 2009. And then,

First let's examine whether too many people get into an elevator and what you should when confronted with that situation. What number of people can be in the elevator you are on? Watch this video and see if you start paying more attention to the number of people getting into the elevator you're already in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhApK1_tvnQ

What if you go to get into an elevator and you look inside and it's already stuffed full of people? Is it wise to climb onboard? What if you're already on the elevator and you're shoulder to shoulder with other passengers, when the car stops at the 38^th floor and more people get on? Should you be getting off?

I think you should. Who has time to read the fine print on the elevator inspection certificate? Not me. I look around and if I think there are too many people already onboard I either politely indicate I'll wait for the next car or I say this is my floor and get off.

How safe are elevators? Are inspections actually carried out and done thoroughly? Are the reports public information? If not, why not?

'Elevator inspections are only as good as the person doing them.'

Is New York alone? What's going on in Campustown?

CNBC Steals & Deals Elevator safety

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN17CIhjqsE

After practicing personal injury law for almost 30 years it gets interesting how you view the modern world around you. We are like sheep being lead to slaughter and don't even question our surroundings. We trust the American Tort Reform Association and its ad campaigns telling us we have too many lawsuits and to blame the trial lawyers. When realistically it's not the number of lawsuits that are too numerous; it's the number of injuries. We trust corporations that seem less concerned about safety and more concerned about bonuses for the CEO's and other executives who run the company into the ground. How can one man alone run a $50,000,000,000.00 Ponzi scheme? Isn't that all that is in jail? Why isn't the ATRA interested in the lawyers who set that scheme up? By the way where does the ATRA get its funding? And if it's okay to hate the trial lawyers, why do so many people, come begging back to us after they are the injured one and it's clear that corporate America has failed them? It's interesting to me how much we are like sheep being lead by the fox back to the slaughter house.

Now let's look at something more interesting and see what the worlds tallest elevators look like. Take a look at some of these elevators shown on YouTube.

Dubai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u2YQLPsjMA

Dubai, 155 stories high

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW9gL9Bs_ko

How tall is the Burj in Dubai?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8mjOYU9Hro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgYYR3-Syog

Taipei, Taiwan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwEPtbCKI8

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on June 16, 2009 (boomark / email).