A woman sustained injuries when a lift in a private hospital on Big Street, Triplicane, plunged from the third floor on Sunday. Six others, including a child, escaped largely unhurt.
While the woman is being treated in the hospital, the eight-month-old was taken to another hospital nearby to check for internal injuries.
A. Sadullah, who was in the lift, said the family with the child having running high fever came to Sakthi Hospital and Research Centre, where the accident took place. “After initial check-up, we were asked to take the child to the third floor to admit it to the ward. A hospital nurse, who accompanied us, asked us to take the lift, while she herself took the stairs,” he said.
According to him, when the lift was about to reach the third floor, it suddenly plunged to the ground floor. “Parts of the ceiling fell on us,” he added. A. Saida, 42, who was holding the child, injured her shoulder as she tried to protect the baby.
“One of us had a swelling on the head,” he added. K. Amanullah, a resident of Ice House, where the family is from, said a complaint had been filed with the police, against the hospital, for alleged negligence. “The hospital did not have a lift operator. We are not sure if it was under proper maintenance. Ms. Saida works as a domestic help, and must be compensated for her loss of income,” he said.
Hospital authorities refused to comment on the incident. A senior police official said that preliminary investigation was on.