A Texas hospital plagued with elevator malfunction issues — one that seriously injured one hospital employee — has publicly criticized its elevator service provider, citing a lack of urgency in its response.
The 47 elevators at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth have been out of order 42 times between January 2018 and January 2019, according to records requested by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Maintenance issues dating back to 2015 — including a citation for undersized hoist ropes and improper pressure settings on its door-closure system — have plagued the elevator that caused the most recent injury.
Three other elevators at the hospital were found to exceed close-pressure limits of 30 pounds in 2018. In May 2018, a parking garage elevator with improper car leveling contributed to a head injury incident.
The hospital has not released details of the most recent injury, but an entry in the maintenance log obtained by NBC 5 through the Texas Public Information Act showed that a passenger was crushed by an elevator between the 10th and 11th floors in January.
Out of frustration, Robert Earley, the hospital's chief executive officer, posted a letter he sent to the elevator maintenance company, thyssenkrupp Elevator Corp., on the hospital's website. In an e-mail response to the newspaper, thyssenkrupp says the hospital has withheld details regarding the most recent incident.
