Woman Dies After Falling Down Shaft In Paseo Arts District

Staff and Wire Reports

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 21-year-old woman died just a few days after falling down a shaft at a building in Oklahoma City's Paseo Arts District.

City officials said they believe 21-year-old Cheryl Bauer was using a lift to load or unload food and beverages Friday when the equipment malfunctioned, hitting her in the head and knocking her on top of it.

"We can only hypothesize what happened, but it looks like a tragic accident," said Oklahoma City spokesperson Kristy Yager.

Yager said the city is not investigating the accident because there were no violations and the city does not inspect material shafts because they are used to transport items, not people.  She said the last time this one was inspected was likely in the 1930s when the building was constructed.

According to friends, Bauer was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and remained in ICU until she died Monday.

Cherokee Ballard with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office said an autopsy has not been performed and there's no official cause of death yet.

Officials initially thought Bauer had fallen down an elevator shaft. Crews spent Tuesday afternoon inspecting the equipment.

According to Bauer's Facebook page, she graduated from Putnam City High School in 2007.