Isaak Komisarchik, an 82-year-old Denver man, died in a parking garage elevator recently, although he had twice pushed the emergency notification button. Komisarchik, who was believed to have dementia, was unable to exit the elevator and was discovered by maintenance staff after residents complained of an odor in the area. The man’s reduced mental state is believed to have played a role in his inability to exit the car. The Denver Fire Department made the discovery in the garage, which is adjacent to the Woodstream Village Apartments; meanwhile, investigators are trying to determine why there was no emergency response.
The Woodstream Village complex is described as a luxury apartment community with controlled access. The company that monitors the elevator is MEI Total Elevator Solutions. Lindsay Andrews of Greystar Management, the management company for the apartment complex, extended condolences and is assisting the authorities with information. The garage was closed for maintenance and restoration at the time. The Medical Examiner in Denver had not yet determined a specific cause of death, which can be more difficult when the body has decomposed.
Initial reports that the elevator was out-of-service were not true according to John White with the Denver Police Department. They are attempting to determine when he entered the elevator car and why the emergency system did not respond. White says that there were inaccurate reports that the elevator was not-in-service amid the renovations. The deceased was last seen on July 5th at a nearby nursing home. Denver authorities had been searching for him and posted “missing person” flyers with his picture and searched several small bodies of water in the area for him.
The Denver Post says that city code requires all elevator units to have emergency signaling capability, which are often connected to the fire department. In addition to the “alarm” button function, there is a phone and intercom for two-way emergency assistance in the elevator cars. The code states that when the two-way communication system is not connected to security based on-site, the notification is forwarded to the monitoring company. Elevators are routinely inspected for safety by the fire department, and this elevator was last checked in December. Komisarchik’s two emergency calls were placed on the morning of July 6th, the day after his disappearance, according to the electronic log records. It remains to be seen if the management company and/or monitoring company could potentially face civil liability as a result of the situation.
The Law Firm of Jeremy Rosenthal represents Colorado clients in civil actions including cases of personal injury, wrongful death and product liability. We seek monetary compensation for those negatively impacted, so that they can recover for damages such as medical expenses, property losses, pain and suffering, losses of companionship and more. Injury cases are taken on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you do not need to pay “up-front.” Contact the office in Denver today at (303) 825-2223.
