Man Killed In North Miami Elevator Mishap

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- An investigation is underway into what led to a man's death inside an elevator shaft.

Jose Danilo Perez-Hernandez's widow told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that she is "in shock" and has not been able to find out how the accident happened.

She says she has spoken with both North Miami Police and her husband's employer, the Advance Elevator Company, which is based at a house in Hialeah.

The widow said her 47-year-old husband had come to the U.S. two years ago from Cuba and had worked for the company for the past year.

The wife of the owner of that company said the owner was too upset to talk about the accident.

The widow who did not give her full name also said she was too upset to talk on camera as well. She said her husband had a daughter who is still in Cuba.

Three agencies are probing the accident, including North Miami Police, Miami-Dade elevator safety inspectors and investigators from OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

CBS4 was at the scene Wednesday afternoon when an OSHA investigator took photographs of the elevator and spoke with a building maintenance manager.

That employee, Pedro Venezuela, said he was a friend of Perez-Hernandez and he said he was distraught.

The accident happened late Tuesday afternoon inside an apartment building on 145th St. at N.E. 6tth Ave.

"It was a tragedy, so sad, I didn't know him personally but I feel bad," said Ronald Brave who lives in the building.

North Miami police said Perez-Hernandez was working on the elevator on the third floor.

"Once his employees could not get a hold of him they came to check on him. They contacted fire rescue, they responded, he had passed away on the scene," said police spokeswoman Natalie Buissereth.

Perez-Hernandez's body was found between the elevator and door.

"He was found in an awkward position as though he was working on the actual elevator, he was at the top of the elevator," said Buissereth.

The building's residents said the elevator had been broken for quite some time.

"Sometimes I get in there and have to push the door closed," said Brave. "It goes down, it was like that all the time."

Florence Petit-Jean, who regularly visits the building to help her mother, said, "Sometimes you press the button for the first floor and it only goes to the second floor and then back up to the third floor. People should know how bad it is."

Buissereth said the elevator shaft did not have any surveillance cameras. She said police could know more after an autopsy of the Perez Hernandez.

A spokesperson for OSHA said it was too early to comment about the case.