INSIDE EDITION EXCLUSIVE:

PARENTS OF YOUNG MAN CRUSHED IN ELEVATOR ACCIDENT SPEAK OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HIS TRAGIC DEATH

“I’M FRANKLY STILL IN DISBELIEF”

Please mention airdate:

Monday, November 11^th

Check local listings at www.insideedition.com

VIDEO LINK (MUST CREDIT INSIDE EDITION AND LINK BACK):

https://ietv.co/2Kegxyq

New York, NY — November 11^th, 2019 – In an exclusive airing on Monday, INSIDE EDITION’s Diane McInerney speaks with Laura and Charles Waisbren, the parents of the young man who was crushed to death when the elevator he was riding in plummeted to the ground. Sam Waisbren was just 30-years-old when he was killed while leaving his Manhattan apartment building in August.

“Total disbelief,” Mr. Waisbren tells INSIDE EDITION of his son’s passing. “I talked to him the night before he died, told him I loved him, that I was proud of him.”

The fatal accident was caught on lobby surveillance cameras. INSIDE EDITION also speaks with Tyler Hartsfield, who escaped the elevator moments before Sam was crushed. His horrified reaction can be seen on the surveillance video.

“As I was stepping out, I felt the elevator drop from underneath my foot,” says Mr. Hartsfield. “I heard other people in the elevator start screaming. I turned around and saw another man try to get out and get crushed.”

He says he still has nightmares about the incident. “It’s hard to sleep sometimes,” says Mr. Hartsfield. “I keep thinking about almost dying, watching someone die in front of me.”

While the cause of the accident remains under investigation, tenants of the Manhattan apartment building where the incident occurred tell INSIDE EDITION the elevators have a history of problems.

“There were complaints being made by the tenants, the management knew this was not working properly and they didn’t take steps to fix it,” says Peter Saghir, an attorney who is representing Sam Waisbren’s family and the other tenants in the elevator.

Sam’s parents are trying to focus on what good can come out of their son’s passing. The family has received hundreds of letters expressing sympathy, which has inspired them to set up “The Sam Waisbren Memorial Basketball Program,” a program to honor their son’s memory that combines his two favorite things–basketball and reading.

“He’s in my heart all day, I feel he’s still here,” says Mrs. Waisbren. “He and I are together in this basketball program.”

For Inside Edition’s full report tune in on Monday, November 11^th. For stations and times in your area, check local listings at www.insideedition.com.

INSIDE EDITION is produced daily by Inside Edition Inc. and distributed by CBS Television Distribution.

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