MIAMI — Malfunctioning elevators at Miami’s veterans hospital have injured at least twelve people over two years, according to a report.
A 2023 assessment obtained by the Miami Herald determined all of the elevators at the 12-story Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center had some parts in “poor or critical condition.”
An unnamed employee told the Herald that they were heading down to the ER when the elevator they were on suddenly stopped before dropping eight floors “like a free fall.” It then got stuck and began to bounce before eventually stopping on the first floor.
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One employee suffered a “career-ending” injury that required back surgery after a fall in an elevator while another said they hurt their ankle after an elevator dropped several floors. The most recent injury occurred in late 2024, but the National Nurses United Miami VA chapter said issue has persisted for years.
“Every time I step into an elevator, it’s like playing Russian roulette,” Eurys Gamez, a registered nurse who works at the hospital and is a local safety officer for the the union, told the Herald. “Is it gonna take me where I need to go or is it gonna drop on me and I’m gonna get hurt?”
The VA previously asserted that all the issues were resolved. However, during a recent meeting, management officials said they are still addressing elevator safety. In part, officials said they have instructed several companies that deliver items to not put pallet jacks in some elevators that can only handle a certain weight, according to Jeffrey Jones, president of the Miami VA’s local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Jones and Bill Frogameni, a registered nurse who works at the hospital and is the director of National Nurses United Miami VA chapter, said they plan to monitor the situation to ensure the issue is solved.
All elevators are currently “in working order and in compliance with current elevator safety standards,” the Miami VA told the Herald in a statement.
Aging Miami VA Medical Center Plagued with Issues
Built in 1967, employees say the aging Miami VA Medical Center has been plagued with other issues.
“This entire building has a lot of issues — electrical, plumbing-wise, roofing, leaking roofs — we have all types of issues in the building,” said Gamez.
In 2023, which saw South Florida’s hottest summer on record, the hospital spent thousands of dollars on an old HVAC system after it shut down in the middle of a heat wave. As a result, the hospital had to briefly stall elective surgeries and move patients from their rooms, according to the NY Post.
VA officials estimate they won’t be able to replace all the aging equipment, including chillers and more than a dozen broken air handler units, until 2027.
