Jul. 18, 2011 (UPI NewsTrack) --
IRVINE, Calif., July 18 (UPI) -- Two California women say they are suing an elevator manufacturer and a building owner for an 11-story plunge that left them injured and traumatized.
Janet Hsu and her mother, Sufeir Hsu, filed a complaint last month in Orange County Superior Court against the building owner, The Irvine Co., ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corp. and ThyssenKrupp's service division, the Orange County Register reported Sunday.
The Hsus are seeking $20,666 for medical and therapy costs and unspecified amounts for physical, mental and emotional suffering.
The two were trapped in the elevator at the 1 Park Plaza building for about an hour after it fell 11 stories before an automatic braking system engaged.
Modern elevators automatically engage brakes when the unit reaches a certain speed and lock the doors so passengers won't attempt to escape into dangerous areas, said Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the California Department of Industrial Relations.
All seven elevators at 1 Park Plaza passed all their routine annual inspections before and after the incident, Fryer said.
Both The Irvine Co. and ThyssenKrupp said in statements it was their policy not to comment on pending litigation.