Chicago premises liability attorneys at our office reported last week that a toddler was seriously injured in Joliet after falling down an elevator shaft in a hotel. The Naperville Sun is now reporting that a switch that was used by the child to open the elevator door should have been locked at the time of the accident.
The safety issue was disclosed by Joliet’s chief building inspector, who is stating that the failure to have the switch locked was a code violation. He also stated that the switch should have been shielded or should have required a key to work.
Elevators in Joliet are reportedly inspected by private companies that are licensed by the state, and not inspected by the city itself. Due to this accident, the fire marshal has temporarily suspended the licenses of two inspectors as it continues to investigate this Joliet elevator incident.
The two-year-old boy was injured when he walked out of a room, got into the elevator and began pressing buttons. At some point he flipped emergency switch and the elevator stopped between floors and the doors opened. This created an opening that the boy went through and then fell 30 feet into the basement.
The child survived and is being treated for his injuries at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
It is not been reported if a Chicago personal injury lawyer is involved in the case yet or if a civil lawsuit has been filed.