DUISBURG (dpa-AFX) - thyssenkrupp Access Corp., now known as TK Access Solutions Corp., has settled an administrative lawsuit with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or CPSC. As part of the settlement, the manufacturer of home or residential elevator also agreed to recall to inspect the elevators following the death of a child due to entrapment.
According to the agency, children can become entrapped in the space between the exterior hoistway door and the elevator car door or gate. They may suffer serious injury or death if the elevator is called to another floor.
The Grandview, Missouri-based company's recall involves about 16,800 residential elevators, which were sold for between $15,000 and $25,000 for a two-landing installation.
These were manufactured and distributed by ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC, thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Access Industries, or National Wheel-O-Vator through 2012.
The lawsuit, filed in July 2021, involves home or residential elevators under a variety of TKA-owned model names. These include Chaparral, Destiny, LEV, LEV II, LEV II Builder, Rise, Volant, Windsor, Independence, and Flexi-Lift. TKA manufactured and sold these elevators to dealers for installation in homes between approximately 1996 and 2012.
The lawsuit was filed after reports of three incidents involving these elevators, including a 2-year old child who died in 2017 and a 2010 incident that left a 3-year old child permanently disabled.
The consent agreement resolves charges that the elevators present a hazard because children can become entrapped in the space between the exterior hoistway door and the elevator car door or gate and suffer serious injury or death if the elevator is called to another floor.
Under the settlement deal, TKA will also provide free inspections, and, if necessary, free installation of safety devices, known as space guards, at no charge to consumers.
Homeowners are urged to contact TKA for a free inspection and free installation of the free space guard, if necessary. Until then, they are asked to prevent children living in or visiting their homes from accessing a residential elevator.
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