Updateded Wednesday at 3p.m.
The who was killed while trying to climb out of a stalled elevator at Cal State Long Beach was caused by "misjudgment," not a mechanical problem with the carriage, a state investigation has thus far found.
Patch obtained what is called an investigative summary report Wednesday morning that while not final, has findings indicating that the decision to attempt to climb out of the elevator carriage was the key factor in the fatality. The university was not blamed.
Earlier story Tuesday night:
KNBC is reporting that the California OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) concluded its investigation into the Dec. 7, 2011 fatal plunge and blamed neither the elevator's maker nor the state public university, where Annette Lujan, 48, worked.
Lujan found herselfthat was caught between two floors of a building, and bystanders were trying to pull her out by her outstretched hands when the elevator car suddenly dropped and she was crushed almost instantly.
There were no news releases about the report on OSHA's website, and Patch calls and emails seeking comment from OSHA and from Long Beach State's media office from 4:30 p.m. on were not returned as of 7:30 p.m.
learned of the story by bumping into KNBC reporter Antonio Castelan on the sprawling campus, but we await our own confirmation. Long Beach Fire Dept. spokesman Steve Yamamoto had no information on the case, in which city paramedics responded to a 9-1-1 call that day on campus. The Daily 49er, which led in reporting the accident, had not yet posted a story.
To read more on the report from KNBC, which obtained a copy of the OSHA finding, click here.
