CPD
Elevator that pinned OSU student exceeded weight
Tuesday, October 24, 2006Doug Whiteman
Associated Press
Columbus- Twenty-four people had crowded onto a dormitory elevator before it pinned and killed an Ohio State University freshman, exceeding its weight capacity by as much as 1,100 pounds, a fire official said Monday.
The count came from a medic who interviewed survivors in a room immediately after the Friday night accident, said Doug Smith, a battalion chief for the Columbus Division of Fire. He said the elevator had a weight capacity of 2,500 pounds.
"If you take the average freshman college kid, you'd probably average their weight somewhere between 140 and 150 [pounds], so without a doubt it probably exceeded the weight," Smith said.
Andrew Polakowski, 18, of Erie, Pa., was the last person in a group of students to enter the elevator on Stradley Hall's third floor when it unexpectedly began to descend with the doors open, campus police said.
Polakowski, a pre-business major, was pinned when he tried to escape through a gap between the top of the elevator and the third floor, police said. It was unclear if he tried to jump or climb out.
Polakowski, who had chest and abdominal injuries, died of asphyxia, Franklin County Coroner Bradley Lewis said.
Authorities have not concluded that the extra weight caused the elevator to malfunction. The case remains under investigation.
Inspectors from the state Department of Commerce returned to the scene Monday to continue their investigation, officials said. It also released documents showing that the elevator had passed every safety test conducted by Otis Elevator Co. going back to 2003, including the most recent one, conducted July 24.
Inspectors are looking at the elevator's doors and other mechanical and electrical parts to determine if the elevator met state design, installation and safety standards, said Denise Lee, spokeswoman for the state Commerce Department.
University President Karen Holbrook also has asked university officials to arrange for an independent review of all dormitory elevators to ensure they are safe.
"We need to let the investigation take place and find out exactly what happened.
"We can't speculate or draw any conclusions at this point until we have all the facts," Ohio State spokeswoman Shelly Hoffman said.
Grief counselors have been available to students at the residence hall since Friday, Hoffman said.
The university also is organizing a van trip Tuesday for students who want to attend services for Polakowski in Pennsylvania, she said.
Some students said they have had minor problems with the elevators in Stradley Hall, which has 11 floors and more than 400 residents.
Erin Wilson, Stradley's resident manager, called 9-1-1 and told a dispatcher that a student was being crushed by an elevator.
"Between the second and third floor, the elevator is coming down on top of him. You can see him trapped on the third floor," Wilson said as people screamed in the background.
Wilson told the dispatcher she was in her room when the elevator alarm started ringing.
"I went out to investigate and people started coming down to say, 'Oh, my God,' " Wilson said, according to a tape of the 9-1-1 call.
Polakowski's friends gathered all weekend at a friend's house in his hometown of Erie to console one another, said Dharmista Jethva, a friend of Polakowski's from McDowell High School, his alma mater.
Jethva said she last spoke to Polakowski a week ago and asked when he was coming home.
"He told me, 'Don't worry, I'll be home before Thanksgiving, and we can hang out,' " Jethva said.
