If the elevator's configuration had been correct, only one wire, not two, would have been connected to one of the controller studs in the elevator control system. This would have allowed the sensors to work correctly and the victim would have been released unharmed.
However, the misaligned wire, which was deemed the primary cause of Nikaidoh's death, was just one of several instances of negligent maintenance on Elevator 14.
During his investigation into the elevator, Chief Elevator Inspector Ron Steele from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation discovered a staggering 22 code violations. The elevator was also overdue for its annual inspection by a month.
The hospital was owned by Christus Health until 2006 when the firm sold it as it said it could not afford to update its ageing buildings. It was sold to North Carolina-based Hospital Partners of America, Inc.
In 2011, a Tennessee-based company, Iasis Healthcare and this firm merged with current owners, Steward Healthcare in 2017.
