FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The chief executive of a Fort Worth hospital says he’s seeking a new contractor for its elevators after a nurse last month was critically injured when she stepped onto an elevator that continued to move.
Robert Earley with John Peter Smith Hospital said Friday that hospital officials intend to hold the current contractor, Thyssenkrupp Elevator Corp., accountable for the Jan. 20 accident.
The nurse had stepped onto the elevator and then lost her balance as it continued to rise, crushing her. She suffered brain damage and internal injuries and has undergone surgeries. She remains hospitalized.
Documents obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram show that the hospital’s elevators were out of service at least 42 times from January 2018 to this January.
Thyssenkrupp said in a statement that it will focus on why the nurse was hurt and preventing anything similar from happening again.