Elevator Company Employee Injured After Cable Failed at Building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN (February 13, 2026) – A worker was injured in an elevator accident in Brooklyn at a building on Lee Avenue.
New York City officials are saying that the accident took place on February 9. An elevator company employee was working on a merchandise lift when the cable supporting the elevator suddenly failed.
That caused the lift to fall 15 feet as the worker was trapped inside. Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene of the accident to help the victim.He was extricated from the elevator shaft and transported to Elmhurst Hospital. A full investigation by OSHA remains ongoing at this time.
Liability for Williamsburg Elevator Accidents
General contractors and building owners have a legal responsibility to protect workers from foreseeable sources of harm. They can be held strictly liable when a worker is injured in a fall under New York’s Scaffold Law (Labor Law § 240). The law covers all gravity-related accidents, including instances where workers fall or are hit by falling objects. For liability to apply, a worker must have been engaged in “the erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of a building or structure.” General contractors should take several measures to protect workers from elevator accidents.
- Compliance: Contractors must comply with all OSHA construction standards for elevators. Among other things, workers should be provided with personal hoists. The elevator itself must also be inspected before work is performed on it.
- Training: All workers should be trained to recognize unsafe working conditions. They must also be able to understand and follow all safety rules for whatever job site they happen to be at.
- Fall Protection: Elevator shafts should never be left open when they’re not being worked on. The doors of the elevator should be closed, or there should be guardrails to protect workers from accidentally falling down the open elevator shaft.
- Equipment: The safety equipment that workers rely on should be inspected daily before each job. They should also be maintained according to manufacturer standards.
Elevator accidents are often highly preventable. They tend to involve instances where safety regulations are not being followed. In particular, the core components of an elevator may become worn out over time. These deficiencies can and should be captured by a careful inspection of the elevator itself. But in far too many circumstances, maintenance companies rushed their workers to complete projects as quickly as possible. This sets the groundwork for accidents to happen.
Steps to Take After Brooklyn Elevator Accidents
Falls remain a leading cause of preventable injury or death in the construction industry. According to The Center for Construction Research and Training, “About three-fifths of the deaths during work in or near elevators resulted from falls to a lower level. Provision of adequate fall protection – scaffolding, guardrails in front of open shafts, or personal fall protection systems – could have prevented these deaths.” A number of steps should be taken after any elevator accident results in injury.
- Medical Treatment: Victims should seek medical treatment as early as possible. Many of the injuries associated with an accident will not be obvious. It is also possible that certain injuries can become worse over time.
- OSHA Report: OSHA will typically investigate most workplace accidents. Any report that they create related to the incident should be sought and carefully examined.
- Evidence Preservation: All of the evidence related to the accident should be collected and preserved. In particular, any surveillance footage that may have captured what happened should be collected. Work records related to the elevator should also be reviewed.
- Legal Review: Any worker injured in an elevator accident should contact an experienced construction accident lawyer. An attorney can examine the unique facts of your case and let you know how much compensation you may be entitled to.
Elevator accidents can cause traumatic and life-altering injuries. Injured workers may need to take extensive periods of time away from their jobs to recover. Unfortunately, building owners and general contractors will virtually never admit that they did anything wrong if a worker is injured in an accident. This is why it’s so important that these incidents are investigated by an outside party. Any worker injured in a Brooklyn elevator accident may be able to pursue some measure of justice and accountability through a civil claim.
Investigating Williamsburg Elevator Accidents
We at Richmond Vona extend our best wishes to the worker injured in this Williamsburg, Brooklyn elevator accident. It is our sincere hope that the victim will be able to make a full recovery. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to OSHA. Several questions remain unanswered. Was the worker provided with adequate safety gear? When was the last time this elevator was serviced?
Have you or someone you care about been injured in a Williamsburg elevator accident? You may be entitled to financial compensation. Our team of experienced construction accident attorneys is here for you. We are committed to helping victims get the medical and financial support that they need to move forward with their lives. Whether you just have legal questions or are wondering how an attorney might be able to help with your particular situation, we are here to assist you. You can contact us anytime at 716-500-5678.
