Bridgeport ordinance would levy high fines for elevator outages
The ordinance would impose high fines on property owners who fail to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by allowing elevator outages to persist indefinitely.
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Bridgeport officials announced plans Saturday to create a city ordinance aimed at reducing the number of chronically broken elevators at apartment buildings across the city.
The ordinance would impose high fines on property owners who fail to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by allowing elevator outages to persist indefinitely.
Officials made the announcement at 1575 Boston Ave., where they say a disabled man died in 2019 because he was unable to receive medical care due to a broken elevator.
Four years later, that same elevator is currently broken.
Resident William Gonzalez, who is disabled, says although he is able to use the stairs, many of his neighbors cannot, leaving them trapped inside their apartments.
"I'm struggling very much, but I'm doing it," says Gonzalez. "I'm trying to get up to the best of my ability, and as I keep going, you can see that I am struggling and this is only the first floor. I have to go all the way up to the fourth floor."
