Elevator inspections in Georgia have been an issue for years, ex
acerbated by the death of an 18-year-old athlete who was trapped and c
rushed between floors in a faulty elevator in 2021. Now, the Georgia in
urance commissioner says his office has found a way to add six more ins
pector positions, starting in July.
The office was able to obtain new funding for the inspectors, due in
part to higher appointment fees for insurance agents. When agents
register their appointme
nts with insurance carriers, they must pay a fee. That fee climbed this
year, from $16 to $20, explained Bryce Rawson, director of legisla
tive affairs for Commissioner John King.
Inspections in parts
Watch More Image Part 2 >>>
of the state have lagged behind because not enough inspectors w
ere available. The commissioner’s office has said that in 2024, more than a third of the 32,000 elevators in the st
ate were out of date on inspections, according to news reports.
One state lawmaker in 2022 proposed quadrupling fines fo
r building owners that fail to regularly inspect elevators. King said
a better solution was to provide more funding for more inspectors and to update the office’s computer system.
The trouble with faulty elevators was spotlighted in August 2021, when JauMarcus McFarland, a young football player from Missouri, was stuck inside an apartment complex elevator that stopped between floors. When he attempted to climb out, the elevator car plunged, killing the youth.
McFarland’s mother charged in a lawsuit that the building managers had failed to inspect the balky elevator system, despite years of complaints from residents.