Investigators said on Tuesday that a malfunctioning switch may have caused a deadly elevatoraccident at a closed hotel that closed last month near the Ohio State campus.
James Higgins was killed while he was working on an elevator at the former Holiday Inn the Lane,located at 328 West Lane Ave., on Monday morning, 10TV News reported.
Higgins was climbing down a ladder from the first floor to the pit of an elevator shaft toprepare the elevator for a furniture move.
Investigators said an elevator came down and pinned Higgins against the ladder. Whenfirefighters arrived, Higgins was lying at the bottom of the pit. He was pronounced dead at thescene.
Inspectors initially believed the elevator car may not have been shut off, but a preliminaryreport indicates that the car moved despite the switch being in the "off" position.
The building is owned by Campus Partners and is being leased to The Ohio State University. The university plans to renovate the building into a residence hall.
The Holiday Inn closed late last month.
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Previous Stories:
April 13, 2009: ManKilled While Working In Closed Hotel
March 30, 2009: Holiday Inn On TheLane Closes Doors
February 10, 2009: 'Hineygate' HotelTo Become OSU Dorm