In a tragic accident, a Boston University professor was crushed to death by an elevator in her apartment building. The machine abruptly dropped, trapping her between the weight of the equipment and the floor.
A resident from the building, Eric Carmichael, told reporters that his wife was alarmed after seeing the woman's arms still holding a package.
Ungodly scream
Carrie O'Connor was a 38-year-old French lecturer from Boston University and was the victim of the horrific accident on Monday evening.
According to the New York Post, a man inside the building who saw the entire accident play out had to be taken to the hospital due to trauma.
Another resident of the apartment, Leanne Scorzoni, told reporters that she heard a person was carrying a package out in the hallway and instantly heard an "ungodly scream." She immediately went out to see what was happening and saw a man who was obviously hyperventilating and screaming "She's dead!"
The victim, O'Connor, had just recently moved into the apartment building which was located on Commonwealth Avenue a couple of weeks ago. She was going to the elevator while carrying a box on the first floor at around 5:15 p.m. when the machine instantly fell on her.
Resident Scorzoni told reporters that the traumatized man was trying to help O'Connor carry the box into the building. He noted that while he was on his way upstairs, he cautioned the victim to be careful because the lift was complicated to operate.
Scorzoni said the elevator had a sensor that could be triggered if there something inside it, adding the machinery was quite old-fashioned. The man believes that whatever O'Connor was trying to place inside accidentally tripped the sensor, which led to the horrific event.
Other residents from the building said the roof of the elevator was visible from the lobby. Scorzoni added that the machine had gone down at least halfway through. Medical experts who performed the autopsy on the victim ruled her cause of death as "traumatic asphyxiation."
A similar tragic incident
Previously, a 46-year-old man was crushed to death under an elevator when he stepped into the machine's shaft Worli, Mumbai, as reported by Telegraph India.
The victim, Vishal Mewani, is the director of Kohinoor Electronics and was on his way to meet a friend inside the two-storey building. Mewani called for the lift, but when it arrived, he accidentally stepped into its shaft.
Mewani quickly realized his mistake and tried to get himself free from the machine. However, he was trapped, and as the elevator came down, he was crushed, said police officers.
Fire brigade officials who responded to the scene were able to pull Mewani out. They quickly brought him to the hospital where medical experts declared him dead on arrival.
Sukhal Varpe, the Worli police station's senior inspector, said Mewani was able to speak with his wife 30 minutes before the tragic accident and said that he was only there to meet a friend.
