Safety alert after man trapped in Wakefield lift ran out of oxygen

A seriously ill man became trapped in a lift with four paramedics for 45 minutes when a safety device was activated and brought the lift to a halt.

Ali Mohammed Nazemi had been placed on oxygen by paramedics but this ran out before they could be rescued by firefighters who had to break down the lift door at his home address in the Wakefield district. The oxygen was restored when he was placed in the ambulance.

Mr Nazemi, 53, died from natural causes on January 18 this year in Pinderfields Hospital where he had been admitted the previous day having suffered an acute stroke and aspirated in the early morning. West Yorkshire Coroner Oliver Longstaff concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr Nazemi was so unwell by the paramedics' first attendance that the delay in his arrival at hospital did not cause or contribute to the "already inevitable outcome".

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However, Mr Longstaff has issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report which he has sent to the lift manufacturer, Schindler Ltd, with copies of the report sent to Yorkshire Ambulance Service and Wakefield District Housing, the landlord.

On the day of the incident, Mr Nazemi had been placed in a carry chair by paramedics as the lift was too small for a stretcher. The lift was later examined and it was found that the 'uncontrolled movement device' had been activated by person's using the lift. None of the paramedics were aware of having activated the device.

The evidence suggested that there was no way to reset the uncontrolled movement device once it had been activated, the coroner's report said. A call to the 24/7 helpline displayed in the lift could not help. Mr Nazemi and the paramedics had to wait for the fire and rescue service to break down the lift door.

The coroner said: "Although Mr Nazemi was so ill that the 45 minute delay caused by the activation of the uncontrolled movement device made no difference to his outcome, there is a concern that others in his position may be seriously affected by the unintentional (and unnoticed) triggering of the uncontrolled movement device and by the fact that nothing apparently can be done to reverse any such unintentional triggering, such that those affected have to await rescue by the Fire & Rescue Service."

The conclusion of the inquest was that Mr Nazeri died of natural causes. The cause of death was due to sepsis leading to multi-organ failure, aspiration pneumonia, acute stroke. 'Ex-intravenous drug use' was cited as a contributory factor. The coroner has given the lift company 56 days to respond to his report, with details of action taken, or proposed, or an explanation why no action is proposed.

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