20-year-old dies as his head gets caught between grille and lift door

NEW DELHI: In a freak incident, a 20 year old died after his head got struck in between the iron grille of a lift’s door in Seemapuri industrial area on Saturday. The youth suffered severe head injuries leading to his death.
Police said the victim has been identified as Puneet and a case of causing death due to negligence and negligent conduct in handling machinery has been registered. An early probe revealed that the incident happened in the evening at an industrial unit where brass taps were being manufactured and polished.

Puneet’s co-workers told the cops that he had been hired two months ago to operate the lift used to move the items around the industrial unit.

Jawahar Singh (47), who works at the unit, told the cops that the workers had complained to the owner about the malfunction in the lift.

“The machine would stop or move on its own sometimes and we had asked the owner to provide us with proper safety gears, but no heed was paid. The buttons to operate the machines were deployed outside and one had to put the neck out to start or stop it,” Singh said.

The police team found that Puneet was inside the lift and was asked to send some raw material for polishing on the first floor. He was starting the lift while his head was out. However, before he could press the lever, the lift started on its own, trapping Puneet’s head between the door and an iron grille.

His cries alerted the other workers, who rushed to stop the lift. They pulled him out and rushed him to a nearby hospital in an e-rickshaw. The doctors declared him brought dead and the body was moved to the mortuary for autopsy. Police have recorded the statements of all those present at the time of the accident and have asked the owner of the unit to join in the investigation. The safety records of the unit are being checked to probe if similar incidents have happened in the past as well.