'It was horrifying': Professor killed in elevator accident
A malfunctioning elevator has been blamed for the death of a university lecturer who was killed while moving her belongings into a new rental apartment.
Carrie O'Connor was loading luggage into the lift of the complex in Allston, in the US state of Massachusetts, on Monday (local time) when it dropped suddenly, CNN reported.
The 38-year-old French lecturer at Boston University died at the scene from what police described as an accidental case of traumatic asphyxia, which usually occurs when the chest is crushed suddenly.
“It was horrifying. I would never want to hear that. Ever. It wasn't even a cry. I can't even describe what it was,” tenant Leanne Scorzoni told WBZ.
A police report detailed that Ms O’Connor had been “trapped in the doorway of the first floor and the elevator” when officers arrived about 5.15pm.
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Records showed the elevator was last inspected on March 26 and management were given 60 days to fix a stop switch.
The notice reportedly warned the unit would be “shut down” if the repair wasn’t made.
The elevator, according to further records, received the necessary repairs on April 22 which allowed its ongoing use.
A colleague of Ms O’Connor’s at Boston University has remembered her as professional, generous, kind and funny.
“She was the kind of colleague that you could trust so deeply and she made our jobs easier and more enjoyable with her steady presence and collaboration,” Katherine Lakin-Schultz said on Wednesday (local time).
“She was incredibly professional, generous with her time and ideas, smart, stalwart, kind and funny. She was such a bright light among us and we are heartbroken that her time here was cut so very short.”
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