Three other people were present inside the lift when the mishap occurred. Only after experts examine the lift will it be clear whether it malfunctioned or if there was any other cause for the mishap.
Ratan Patil, the victim, was in his late sixties and lived at Tuljai-C society in Borivli (East) with his family. In the evening of October 2, he came home with milk packets and then headed out again to look for his two grandsons. So, he entered the lift on the third floor. Society residents said the lift halted on the second floor and then on the first floor. After the doors opened on the first floor, Patil poked his head out to check if his grandsons were playing. While he was ducking back, the lift’s doors started to close. His body was trapped in the inside door and he got dragged as the lift moved towards the ground floor.
The three others in the lift, who were visiting someone in the society, witnessed the mishap. “They were lucky to not suffer any injuries,” said a resident. On the ground floor, the watchman used a key to try and open the lift’s door, to no avail. The fire brigade was summoned. Firemen managed to extricate a seriously injured Patil. “My mother-in-law and I were at home when we were informed about the mishap by residents. The kids also said that their grandfather was badly injured,” said Patil’s daughter-in-law.
Patil was rushed to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Kandivli (West). His son, Rahul, who is employed at a five-star hotel, was at work at the time and rushed to the hospital to be with his father. “Patil was admitted around 8pm in a critical condition. His pulse was not recordable. There were serious head injuries and suspected tracheal injuries. We couldn’t do a CT-scan or any other medical investigation immediately due to his condition. He was kept on a ventilator right since admission in the surgical ICU,” said a senior doctor from Ambedkar Hospital.
On October 5, Patil was moved to Nair Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on October 7. The Kasturba Marg police in Borivli (East) recorded an accidental death entry. The society has since kept the lift shut. “The last servicing was done on September 24,” said Jatin Damania, the chairman of the society. Tuljai-C was constructed in 2013 and the Patils have been living there since it came up. “We have decided to fully replace the lift instead of opting for repair,” said Damania. “We are in the process of taking quotations from leading lift manufacturers.”
Patil’s funeral was conducted last week. His wife has been inconsolable even as relatives have rallied around her.
