A group of 25 inspectors, engineers, attorneys and videographers is scheduled to examine a Luzerne County prison elevator Wednesday to document evidence for potential future litigation involving two deaths, officials said.
The prison’s fifth-floor elevator door immediately gave way at the base July 18 when inmate Timothy Darnell Gilliam Jr., 27, fell backward and hit the elevator door at the facility on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, pulling 25-year-old prison corrections officer Kristopher D. Moules with him, a criminal investigation concluded.
The men fell 59 feet and 1 inch from the fifth floor to the top of the elevator car, which was stationary on the ground floor, and both died of multiple traumatic injuries, officials have said.
The Wednesday inspection stems from a court petition filed by Schindler Elevator Corp., which had been involved in the elevator’s maintenance.
The company asked the court to preserve the elevator and require the county to hold off on elevator repairs until a thorough inspection could be arranged.
Other parties intervened in the court filing seeking the opportunity to participate in inspections, according to court filings:
• Otis Elevator Company, which installed the elevator and modernized it around 1991.
• Nagle Elevator Inspections & Testing LLC, which performed several inspections of elevators at the prison that may have included the subject elevator.
• Moules’ estate.
• Gilliam’s mother, Kia Bradford.
County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said no litigation has been filed to date in connection with the elevator or deaths.
The elevator had a valid inspection certificate at the time of the deaths.
County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich said he had to complete a background check on all inspection participants and secured a list of all equipment that will be brought into the facility.
He has not determined if inmates will be placed on lockdown during the inspection, which starts at 10 a.m.
In addition to examining components, inspection participants want to ride the elevator from the fifth floor to the ground level and check out all six landings, Rockovich said.
Following the two deaths, the state Department of Labor and Industry, which handles elevator certification inspections, deemed the elevator inoperable until repairs are completed. Rockovich said the elevator doors on all floors have been boarded up, leaving only one operable elevator in the facility.
Crocamo said she notified the state of the inspection plans and is awaiting its approval. The state must approve the plans and send a representative to the facility on Wednesday to turn a key to make the elevator operational, she said.
A county representative also will participate in the inspection to determine the scope of repairs, Crocamo said.
“We thought it would be more efficient for the county to conduct its review at the same time because the state has to be present to turn the switch to operate the elevator,” she said.
The county recently retained KONE Inc., based in Moline, Illinois, to perform elevator inspections and complete repairs, according to a contract posted on the county website.
A proposal seeking companies to complete prison shower renovations and door repairs also has been released, with a pre-bid conference scheduled for Jan. 3.
During a recent annual inspection, state Department of Corrections inspectors observed a concern with the condition of shower tiles in some prison units but noted these tiles were removed were removed pending the completion of a county council-approved capital project to resurface the shower, its report said.
Rockovich said the project will cover 20 shower areas at the prison and three at the nearby minimal offenders building.
A correctional officer and possibly a prison maintenance worker will be assigned to watch contractors to prevent contact with inmates and safeguard tools and materials to ensure they don’t end up in inmates’ hands, Rockovich said.
“There are a lot of security concerns, but this work is needed. It’s long overdue,” he said.