The daughter of a worker crushed to death by a faulty dumbwaiter in a Hell’s Kitchen grocery store is suing the owners of the building.
Jeylin Sanchez, 23, filed the lawsuit in Bronx Supreme Court on Monday after her mother, Maria Sanchez, was killed by an elevator that had been allegedly illegally installed at the Food Emporium on West 43rd Street in December 2020.
The 39-year-old mother of four was killed in the basement of the grocery store after she was struck by the elevator when it suddenly lurched upwards, fracturing her skull, face, and ribs, according to the Department Buildings and court documents.
The dumbwaiter was not registered or inspected by the city Buildings Department, which is required by law, according to the lawsuit.
“That elevator was not registered and should not have been used by anyone in the first place,” Jeylin Sanchez wrote on a GoFundMe page after her mother’s death. “Unfortunately, working conditions are often overlooked when it comes to minorities.”
The GoFundMe campaign ultimately raised nearly $9,000 and the lawsuit is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.
“It is so tragic that my mom left everything she knew back home to come to this country to obtain a better life but lost it while doing so,” Jeylin wrote. “She worked so hard for us to have a roof over our heads and food on the table.”
Building owners M Plaza L.P. and Related Management company were named as a defendant in the lawsuit as well as Liberty Elevator Company and Arrow Elevator Inc.
