ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A child was critically injured Monday night after getting stuck inside an elevator shaft at a home in St. Pete.
It happened around 7:30 p.m. at a house on Brightwaters Boulevard Northeast.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue crews say they found the child stuck between floors and took out part of the ceiling to remove them.
Paramedics rushed the child to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital where they remain in critical condition Tuesday morning.
Investigators from the fire department and the St. Petersburg Police Department said it appears the child accidentally got stuck and no foul play was involved. Detectives say they're still reviewing the case "to cover all bases."
While the circumstances of how the child became entrapped and injured in the elevator are unclear, it is not the first time residential elevators have caused serious injuries or even death to children.
Incidents can always be reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 10 Tampa Bay sifted through that database and found multiple reports of children being killed or seriously injured by residential elevators.
To get a sharper insight 10 Tampa Bay Anchor Courtney Robinson spoke with Nancy Cowles, the executive director for the group Kids in Danger.
Cowles said one of the biggest issues has to do with a gap between the exterior door and interior door that children can fit into – getting trapped or falling into the elevator shaft.
The Florida legislature addressed that and now requires the gap in new, private elevators be no more than 4 inches. However, older elevators are still a problem and there is no requirement in Florida that elevators in private homes be inspected or certified – like commercial elevators.
"It might not even be evident as a gap to you," Cowles said. "But a small child, or even some of these children, or even, you know, up to 9 or 10 years old can fit in some of those gaps. And so take it seriously, get it fixed or disable the elevator."
Cowles said that is why inspections are critical – even if they are not required. She says an elevator inspector can quickly identify if there’s a gap or another problem and fix it. She says addressing the gap is a simple and inexpensive issue to fix.