NY Ad Executive Suzanne Hart Killed In Freak Elevator Accident

An advertising executive for Young and Rubicam was crushed to death when an elevator she was stepping into suddenly ascended, trapping her between two floors.  

Police identified the 41-year-old marketing executive as Suzanne L. Hart. A fire official said she was 'mangled up really bad' and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim was half way into the elevator when it rose unexpectedly up a shaft at 285 Madison Avenue and E. 41st Street. "I heard screaming and I saw people running," one witness said.

Two other people who were in the elevator were treated for emotional trauma after witnessing the tragedy.

Y&R released a statement after the accident. It says, in part: "Our focus at this moment is the well-being of our employee's family and our larger Y&R family. As you can imagine, this is a great emotional shock to all."

Hart was Director of New Business, Content and Experience for Y&R.  She had been with the company since June 2007.

A former colleague said she was "truly a joy to work with."

It is not clear what caused the elevator to suddenly move rapidly at about 10 a.m.  A fire official says that if Hart had tried to enter the elevator one second earlier, or one second later, she would probably have lived through the horrific accident.

Emergency vehicles from the FDNY, NYPD and Buildings Dept. surrounded the entrance of the building in the aftermath of the accident.  Madison Ave. was closed between E. 40th Street and E. 42nd Street causing traffic problems across midtown.

Fox 5 News reported that, over the past decade, the building has had 56 violations with its elevators.  All of the complaints were dismissed, according to Buildings Department records.

A buildings department spokesman said the elevator was last inspected in June and no safety issues were found.