Suzanne Hart, a 41 year old executive at Y&R with offices at 285 Madison Avenue on 40th Street, was killed on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 in a freak elevator accident.
According to witnesses and the firemen who responded to the emergency, the elevator doors stayed open but started its ascent with Ms. Hart still halfway out, pinning her between the first and second floors. “ It seems like her body is what stops the elevator’s movement,” a fire official said.
This is a horrific accident and one which could have been avoided.
Despite what the newspapers and media are reporting about the elevators at 285 Madison Avenue having no outstanding elevator problems, they are wrong. If you go to the Department of Building's website, you will find over a dozen OPEN/ACTIVE elevator complaints. And, at the tail end of this long list, the latest violation posted after yesterday's horrific accident is labeled a "Construction" issue.
285 Madison Avenue is owned by WPP -- the umbrella company for Y&R and Wunderman.
Y&R, which was Young & Rubicam when it opened its doors in 1926 at 285 Madison Avenue, will be moving to 3 Columbus Circle on the West Side, near the Time Warner Center. Other companies that are part of the Young & Rubicam Group division of WPP are also leaving. They include Blast Radius, BrandBuzz, Bravo, K & Lee, the KBM Group, VML, Wunderman and ZAAZ.
I know a lot of owners of commercial buildings in the city, and most simply don't care about safety complaints or city violations. Spending money on upkeep is often ignored. Think about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 that killed 146 workers (including kids). Even with the creation of safety codes after this horrific event, many building owners continue to run their buildings with little or no care about the safety of their tenants. This accident is another case in point.
I personally believe WPP should be held accountable. They knew their elevators had problems and did nothing to correct the issues. Hey, I know it costs well into seven digits to replace a faulty elevator. But, isn't one human life worth a lot more?
Rest In Peace, Suzanne Hart.
2011 Copyright Kirby Sommers
UPDATE, December 16, 2011
I've done a little digging and am including here some information the news may not be sharing with you.
The tax records show that 285 Madison Avenue is owned by Young and Rubicam, Inc with an address at the same building.
Same tax records estimate their yearly estimated gross income at $14,656.00.
The elevator accident that took the life of Suzanne Hart on December 14, 2011 could have been prevented.
History of safety violations in its elevators
Since 1999 the building has been written up with 56 violations, 34 for "failure to maintain elevators." Just this past June all the elevators in the building received an unsatisfactory rating.
The Department of Building records are generic in nature. They don't give the public details, they merely place violations under a label. For example, the latest violation given to 285 Madison Avenue is labeled "Constuction."
What this really means is that when the elevator's ascent was stopped between the first and the second floor, the impact on Suzanne Hart's body was so great it actually damaged the area around the elevator. However, the records say nothing about the tragic loss of life, and anyone who isn't familiar with the freak accident, would never be the wiser.
And, that's one of the problems with the records kept by the Department of Buildings. They're opaque. Generic labeling of violations have to change. I believe the public has a right to know what potential hazards exist when entering either a commerical property or a residential one.
Meanwhile, the employees of Y&R have been working from home. The building is being evacuated. Literally. Every business at 285 Madison Avenue is being told to stay away.
A little late, in my opinion. Had the landlord been proactive in addressing the elevator problems, even as late six months ago, when they were, once again brought to their attention, this tragedy could have been avoided.
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