Boston University Lecturer Dies in Elevator Accident

A 38-year-old lecturer at Boston University died in a tragic elevator accident this week. Professor Carrie O’Connor, who had previously taught French at MIT, Tufts, and Northeastern, had just started her second year of full-time teaching at Boston University. She reportedly became trapped between the elevator car and the first-floor door of her building.

According to a report by a local NBC affiliate, 38-year-old Boston University lecturer Carrie O’Connor died tragically this week after being caught in an elevator. O’Connor died of traumatic asphyxiation on Monday after being trapped in an elevator. O’Connor was found by neighbors trapped between the doorway of the first floor and the elevator car.

One building resident claims that the elevator may have started to move after it was triggered by a large box carried by O’Connor. “It was horrifying,” the resident said. “It wasn’t a cry. I can’t even describe what it was. I went out in the hall because I genuinely thought someone was being murdered.”

Another building resident said they had never had an issue with the elevator. “It’s an old elevator. It’s an old building, I assume, but it’s never had any issues for me,” the resident said.

The city of Boston claims that the elevator was recently inspected. At the time of the inspection, the elevator was in compliance with local regulations for elevator safety. The city has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the elevator’s failure.

Boston University Professor Odile Cazenave, who also serves as the chair of the romantic language department, said that O’Connor was a vital part of the language department. “Already then, and even more so now, she was an intrinsic part of the French section and the department at large,” Cazenave said.