Government urges AirBnB, Vrbo to issue new elevator guidance after child's death

A government agency is urging vacation rental companies to require owners to disable at-home elevators or make safety modifications following the death of a child.

A government agency is urging vacation rental companies to require owners to disable at-home elevators or make safety modifications following the death of a child in North Carolina earlier this month. In a letter to Airbnb, Vrbo and others, The Consumer Product Safety Commission said residential elevators "can pose a deadly but unforeseen hazard to children." "Small children can be crushed to death in a deadly gap that may exist between the doors," the letter said. CPSC said if the gap between the exterior door and inner door is too deep, a child can become entrapped between the two, resulting in serious injury and even death.