Detroit man dies when his motorized wheelchair plunges 8 floors down open elevator shaft

Man dies when wheelchair falls down elevator shaft

DETROIT — Detroit police say a 58-year-old man died when his motorized wheelchair fell eight floors down an elevator shaft in a downtown building.

Police spokesman John Roach says it appears the wheelchair had been moving erratically and bumping into the elevator door on the eighth floor of the residential building Monday afternoon.

Roach says witness statements are conflicting, but at some point the door opened. The wheelchair then lurched forward or backward into the shaft.

Police are investigating the incident as an apparent accident.