More than a year and a half after the death of Ismaël, 4 years old, when a hydraulic lift fell at the Côté Seine shopping center in Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise), the return of the expert reports commissioned by the judge of instruction is overwhelming for elevators. On June 8, 2018, the boy died after being trapped between the roof and the cabin of the craft.
In their final report dated December 26, 2019 and notified on January 17, the two experts before the Versailles Court of Appeal affirm that the “direct cause of the accident is linked to the improper crimping [assembly] of the [hydraulic] hose in its fitting ".
Security obligations breached
During the drama, the hose had in fact detached from the cylinder head connector, causing the cabin to fall. A “mess” that experts attribute to the replacement of the hose in August 2015. This work was then carried out by the company Bagneux Hydraulique. According to our information, the company had been called at the time in emergency for "a drift of cabin". In their report, the two experts also point the finger at the responsibility of the client, the company Thyssen, which, according to them, "neither checked the works carried out, nor even received them".
After determining the direct cause of the accident, the experts sought to know the indirect causes. Hydraulic elevators are subject to a strict regulatory system to prevent the risks of free fall, drift and speeding of the cabin. However, according to experts, these safety obligations were violated by all the companies involved during the operating period. To the question: did the device stop correctly during the accident? The two experts answer no. According to them, the companies could have anticipated this risk by ensuring "preventive maintenance and more serious checks".
No draining of cylinders, no checks
"The elevator car fell to a height of around 2.50 m before coming to a stop when it should have stopped after 40 centimeters," reads the report's conclusions. In fact, on June 8, Ishmael's family arrived from the shopping center's underground parking lot, on level −1, and went up to the first floor. It was at the moment when the child crossed the threshold that the cabin suddenly fell and that the ground was hidden under the feet of the little boy, the child finding himself trapped in the roof of the cabin.
According to experts, the fall of the cabin is due to the presence of air in the jacks, air which would have entered during the replacement of the hoses in 2015. “During these works, the company Bagneux Hydraulique (subcontractor) had to carry out purges on the cylinders, which it did not do, ”notes the report. And the experts point to the indirect responsibility of the client, the company ThyssenKrupp, which never controlled the works. Subsequently, the various companies in charge of the maintenance of the elevator, the company Thyssen, the company Otis and the company Schindler never carried out a purge on the jacks, notes the report.
As for the controls of the installations, still according to the experts, Bureau Veritas did not carry out the parachute take-off tests with seriousness and professionalism. Hence the indirect responsibility of these four companies in the accident, according to specialists.
When contacted, the company Schindler did not wish to comment. As for the other lift operators, only Otis responded to our requests, stating that "not being a party to this procedure" it "was unable to comment on it".
Parents' lawyer points to "slow" instruction
At the Côté Seine shopping center in Argenteuil, Ismaël's death is still in everyone's mind. The drama had lasted 20 long minutes. An unbearable camera during which Ismaël's mother had helplessly witnessed the death of her son before the firefighters took her down.
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"From now on, my clients are waiting for the justice system to quickly draw all the consequences from the experts' conclusions and to put those responsible under investigation," explains Me Yassine Bouzrou, the child's family lawyer. The council claims the appointment of a second judge, considering that the instruction carried out so far was "particularly bad, slow and disrespectful" for the family.
