Blind man falls in elevator shaft

May 4, 2009 at 12:00 am · Filed under America, Climate Change, Death Penalty, Feedback, Lifes' like That, LOW Tech, MOBILE, Poverty, Republican'ts, Sad Newz, Strange News and tagged: Getting the shaft, Needless deaths, slumlords

NEW YORK – A blind man fell to his death in an elevator shaft inside a building with a history of elevator violations, and authorities on Friday were investigating whether malfunctioning doors played a role.

The body of 67-year-old Sheldon Scott was discovered Thursday night inside a 10-storey apartment building in the Bronx where he lived with his wife. No foul play was suspected.

Scott’s wife reported him missing Thursday afternoon, about four hours after he left their third-floor apartment to go to the bank. Officers who searched the building later found him in the elevator shaft. Police said Scott was legally blind.

The building has been cited for 14 elevator violations since 1991, including three that were dismissed on Wednesday, according to a city website. A separate complaint logged Thursday from a caller reporting Scott’s death includes a notation saying, “shaft open/unguarded.”

City Department of Buildings spokesman Tony Sclafani said the accident was under investigation, but declined further comment. There was no response to a telephone message left with the building’s owner.

An autopsy has been scheduled.

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