Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived this week in North Miami at the Ocean King Apartments located at 6th Avenue and 145th Street in response to the death of a man repairing the facility’s elevators.
Agents interviewed the maintenance manager and took photos of the scene while police conducted their own investigation into the tragic accident that claimed the life of the 46-year-old man.
According to the North Miami Police spokeswoman, the man got wedged in the elevator for unknown reasons while working at the apartments. She said, “He was on top of the elevator and somehow something happened and he was trapped.”
The repairman did not have any known medical conditions and police are awaiting the results of the autopsy before officially determining his cause of death. Officials state that until then, his death is considered accidental.
Police reported that family members of the deceased man got worried when he never returned home from work. They went to the job site and, discovering his body on the third floor, called police.
Residents of the apartments complained that the elevator wasn’t maintained properly, labeling it a “death trap.”
Elevators are necessary features of high-rise buildings, and as such, get heavy use. They require frequent maintenance, and repairs must be done at the earliest sign of irregularities to prevent tragedies like this from occurring.
Maintaining safe premises is incumbent upon building owners and managers to ensure the safety of work staff, residents and visitors alike. Those who get injured due to a person or entity’s negligence can seek civil justice through the Florida courts.
Source: WTVJ, “Elevator Repair Man Dies in North Miami Building,” Jan. 06, 2016