5 JPS hospital elevators to be upgraded by January, including one that crushed nurse

The John Peter Smith Hospital elevator that malfunctioned in January, leading to a nurse being seriously injured, will begin being refurbished next month.

Carren Stratford was injured on Jan. 20 as she tried to get into elevator No. 29 at JPS. As Stratford placed her right foot on the elevator and stepped into it, the elevator continued to rise. She lost her balance and the elevator continued going up. She was crushed between the 10th and 11th floors, officials said.

Since then, the Star-Telegram found that elevators at JPS malfunctioned at a rate of at least once a day in the year leading up to Stratford’s injury. The newspaper also found that in 2017, elevator consulting firm Lerch Bates told JPS that elevator no. 29 needed updates to nearly every part.

The hospital instead updated two other elevators. A representative said it was because the other elevators were used more frequently.

Now, elevator No. 29 will be upgraded beginning on Aug. 5. The upgrades — called modernization — can take 12 to 16 weeks or more, depending on labor and parts, said Diana Brodeur, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

“We have processes already in place that have helped us keep hospital operations running smoothly and safely,” she said.

JPS severed ties with its former elevator contractor, Thyssenkrupp, in March. The hospital uses Southwest Elevator.

“Southwest Elevator has been conscientious in its assessment, repair and maintenance of JPS elevators,” Brodeur said.

Two technicians have been dedicated to working at JPS in the first six months of their contract, she said.

By January, five elevators will be completely refurbished, including elevators Nos. 30 and 31, which are in the hospital’s main parking garage.

Pending litigation

Attorneys for Stratford have said they plan to file lawsuits related to her injuries.

JPS Chief Executive Officer Robert Earley was scheduled for a deposition on July 19 with Stratford’s attorney, Kern Lewis.

Court documents say that Stratford intends to file a lawsuit against the hospital’s former elevator contractor — Thyssenkrupp — and “potentially others involved in the maintenance or operation of the elevator.”

The document does not specifically say whether the lawsuit will also target JPS.

Lewis requested copies of communication between JPS and Thyssenkrupp for the year leading up to the injury, and any documents that show if JPS had been given specific warnings about the need to repair or replace parts of elevator No. 29, whether JPS had prior notice of brake failure or maintenance, and if JPS had unqualified personnel perform repairs on elevators.

The answers to the questions Lewis seeks have been reported by the Star-Telegram through several records requests.

A week before Stratford was hurt, Thyssenkrupp warned hospital officials to stop working on and resetting elevators themselves. The hospital received the warning in a letter delivered to the hospital on Jan. 14, according to records.

In May, state inspectors found that a lack of routine maintenance and equipment checks led to a brake failure on the elevator.

This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 10:00 AM with the headline "5 JPS hospital elevators to be upgraded by January, including one that crushed nurse."