GRUESOME

Boston University Lecturer Killed by Elevator After Large Package Caused Her to Fall Into Shaft

Carrie O’Connor was maneuvering an 7.5-foot long, 80-pound package when it accidentally hit a button causing the elevator to plummet.

A Boston University lecturer was killed in her apartment building’s elevator last month when her struggle with a large, unwieldy package caused her to fall into the shaft, according to a report released by the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections late Friday. Carrie O’Connor, 38, died while trying to maneuver a package measuring 7.5 feet long and weighing 80 pounds into the 60-year-old elevator. While in the elevator, a mechanic in the basement of the building called the elevator down, and as O’Connor attempted to keep the package upright, it hit a switch that allowed the elevator to descend while still open to the shaft. O’Connor continued to wrestle with the slipping package, according to the report, and fell into the shaft, where she was crushed between the elevator and the wall. The report found that the elevator had not malfunctioned even though the “emergency stop switch was not labeled at the time of the accident.”