The elevator company that provides services to Fort Worth, Texas-based John Peter Smith Hospital claims there have been "misstatements and mischaracterizations" regarding its response to malfunctioning elevators at the hospital, Fox 4 News reports.
Four things to know:
1. The CEO of JPS has sent two letters to Thyssenkrupp Elevator Corp. demanding the company address elevator safety concerns at the facility after a nurse was seriously injured in an elevator crash in January.
2. Thyssenkrupp sent JPS a letter last month warning officials against using hospital employees to perform maintenance on the elevators. The company also said the hospital would be liable for any incident, including personnel injuries, if elevator maintenance was performed by anyone other than a Thyssenkrupp employee.
"We strongly urge you to take whatever steps necessary to immediately discontinue this practice, including but not limited to communicating with all of your maintenance personnel that such actions are and will continue to be strictly prohibited," the letter states.
3. Hospital CEO Robert Earley said in a letter to employees that JPS does not repair elevators, but does help when people are trapped inside.
"What would you have us do, wait minutes, sometimes hours for TKE workers to show up? There is nothing in the contract JPS has with TKE that prevents us from responding appropriately when someone is trapped inside an elevator," he wrote.
4. The nurse who was injured in the accident has been moved out of the facility's intensive care unit and is undergoing more therapy, a lawyer for the woman confirmed Feb. 21. The nurse suffered brain injury and internal injuries, the report states.
To access the full report, click here.