Death trap elevators at Florida veterans hospital hurt at least 12 people over last 2 years: nurses union

Failing elevators at a veterans hospital in Miami have injured at least a dozen people over two years, according to a nurses’ union that called the lifts a “death trap.”The elevators at the Miami VA Medical Center tend to suddenly drop several floors, creating a danger for injured and ill patients, according to union officials.Bill Frogameni, a registered nurse at the hospital and the director of National Nurses United Miami VA chapter, told the Miami Herald about the deplorable conditions.

He lamented that the center “is supposed to be a place of healing.It is not supposed to have death trap elevators.”All of the main elevators in the 12-story hospital have had issues flagged during a 2023 assessment obtained by the Herald.

The building, which has been standing for almost six decades, has been plagued with structural issues for years including problems with its air-conditioning and roof leaks, according to employees.The VA had previously asserted that all the issues were resolved, but some hospital employees are still doubtful and wary of the elevators for their own sake and also the safety of their patients.Several reported that the elevators had dropped several floors while they were still inside over the last few years.At least one worker even cited a “career-ending” injury requiring back surgery that resulted from a fall in the elevator, according to Frogameni and Eurys Gamez, a registered nurse in the center’s psychiatric wing and the union’s safety officer.An additional employee told the Herald that they had suffered an ankle injury after the elevator dropped multiple stories.In a recent meeting, VA management officials assured employees that they are addressing the long list of safety concerns.

Of the fixes in the works, the officials claimed that they have instructed deliverers to not put pallet jacks in some elevators that can only handle a certain weight, according to Jeffrey Jones, president of the Miami VA’s local chapter of the A...