Family Of Woman Injured In Fenway Park Elevator Accident Files Lawsuit
BOSTON (CBS) - The family of a woman critically injured in an elevator accident at Fenway Park is now suing.
New video shows exactly how Elisabeth Scotland fell into the shaft at Fenway in May. You can see the elevator door swinging open like a "doggy door" with just a slight push.
The lawsuit claims Scotland was waiting for the elevator on the fourth floor of the ballpark when she brushed up against the closed door.
It swung open; she lost her balance, slipped into the shaft and plummeted two stories landing on top of the elevator car.
Scotland suffered severe brain and spine injuries along with facial fractures and dental damage.
She is now suing Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Red Sox and the elevator company. The lawsuit does not specify an amount, but Scotland has already accumulated more than a quarter of a million dollars in medical expenses.
"We cooperated fully with the Department's investigation of this tragic accident, but will not be commenting on it," a Red Sox spokesperson said. "We have taken all necessary steps to ensure that the elevators in Fenway Park are safe. Our thoughts remain with Ms. Scotland and her family, and we hope for continued progress with her recovery."
Bardia Shah-Rais was at the Sox game that night with friends. He was interviewed by state investigators because he was a witness.
"We were getting ready to take the stairs down, and we just heard some rough-housing, I guess you could say, by the elevator," Shah-Rais said. "And then you just heard screams that someone had fallen down the shaft."
"We were probably like 15 feet away when we heard all the screams and then when we got closer, as we were walking, you could see that the elevator door was pushed in."
"What we saw before that were people pushed up against it, almost like goofing around, playing," Shah-Rais said. "That's the best way I could describe it, like when you're leaning against the door, pushing against it, that's kind of what I saw."
"They weren't running into it, they were just like of pushing against it, stationary, so to speak."
The official state report says that Scotland jumped up and hugged her father from behind and when she jumped off him, she hit the elevator door with enough force to make it open.
The case moves to Superior Court as Scotland continues to recuperate from significant injuries.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong contributed to this report.
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