Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Elevators plunging several floors due to a malfunction have injured at least 12 people at The Miami VA Medical Center, an issue that has gone on for more than two years, the Miami Herald reported this week.
The elevators vacillate through the 12-story building, carrying nurses, patients and visitors alike.
In a phone interview with the newspaper, Bill Frogameni, who is a registered nurse at the veteran’s hospital and is the director of National Nurses United Miami VA chapter, said the hospital is meant o be a “place of healing.”
“It is not supposed to have death trap elevators,” he said.
In a 2023 assessment of the building, the Herald reported, all of the Miami VA’s main hospital elevators had issues, including parts listed as being in poor or critical condition. The VA told the nurses union that “all of the deficiencies were addressed,” however some employees still have their reservations and are concerned for patients and coworkers.
One employee suffered a “career-ending” injury and required back surgery after the elevator dropped several floors while they were inside. And that employee isn’t the only one.
Another worker suffered an ankle injury when the elevator suddenly dropped several floors.
Two workers were in the elevator with an empty stretcher after having dropped a patient off on one of the upper medical floors when the elevator stopped suddenly before free-falling. The elevator then became stuck and began to bounce before stopping on the first floor.
About two years ago, Eurys Gamez, a registered nurse in the psychiatric unit and a Safety Officer with the union, became trapped in an elevator.
Gamez likened using the hospital’s elevators to “playing Russian roulette.”
“Is it gonna take me where I need to go or is it gonna drop on me and I’m gonna get hurt?” Gamez told reporters with the paper.
The most recent incident happened in late 2024.
The Miami VA said in an emailed statement to reporters that all of its elevators are in working order and comply with current elevator safety standards.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with over four decades of experience handling the cases of injured clients in the state. Our attorneys have secured numerous record verdicts and settlements, capturing nationwide attention and affecting change via statewide legislation.
Leesfield & Partners has decades of experience litigating cases stemming from horrific automobile accident injuries, medical malpractice at the hands of negligent medical professionals and cases involving premises liability injuries.
Premises liability is a legal principle that holds property owners and management companies accountable for injuries caused by unsafe and/or defective conditions at their property. Under this principle, property owners and management companies have a duty to maintain a reasonably safe environment for visitors. Failing to do so or failing to address a known safety concern in a timely manner could leave them liable for injuries suffered by visitors to the property.
Previous Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners represented a 35-year-old man who suffered a spinal chord injury after a fall from the balcony at a friend’s apartment. The man was standing on the balcony when the railing broke and he fell two stories onto the concrete. He was left paralyzed from the shins down.
The property owner placed his bottom line above the safety of tenants and visitors, cutting corners and taking shortcuts in order to save money. The property owner refused to make repairs to balconies and railing that were in dire need of safety updates. Multiple tenants made the issue known to the owner over the years and their safety concerns were ignored.
Despite the apartment building only having $1 million of liability insurance, Leesfield & Partners secured a $7 million settlement for the man injured in that case.
Another Leesfield & Partners client was awarded $5,075,000 in a premises liability case that involved an accident at a home, causing our client to sustain terrible injuries. The client in that case was left paralyzed.
The firm previously handled a case in which a client suffered a concussion at a building, resulting in a $1.43 million recovery for the injured client.
A Key West hotel that failed to properly repair a boiler roof vent damaged in a hurricane left its guests, including Leesfield & Partners clients, vulnerable to carbon monoxide exposure. The colorless and odorless gas was able to leak into the room while our clients slept. Luckily, our clients were able to call for emergency responders before passing out from carbon monoxide exposure.
The case garnered nationwide attention and resulted in Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, to fight for the passage of Senate Bill 1822. This law now requires public lodging places to install carbon monoxide detectors within 10 feet of each sleeping area.
A confidential settlement was reached for the guests in that case.
Recently, Partner Justin B. Shapiro secured a $1.8 million settlement for a client injured at a Florida vacation rental. The client injured in that instance fell while in the rental property’s shower. The cause of the man’s severe fall – which left his hip shattered so badly that doctors said his bones resembled “breadcrumbs” – was due to slipper shower tiles.
