With the possible exceptions of 9/11 and Oklahoma City, I doubt if anyone's been killed in a "falling elevator" since before the Second World War; my understanding is that all elevators must include a safety mechanism which will cause a free-falling elevator to jam in the shaft.

People have (rarely) been killed in elevator accidents, but mostly by being crushed between the doors or by stunting (riding on top of the elevator for cheap thrills).

The ones where people are crushed by the doors closing are a result (rant warning on - MHOO) of the general public using a safety mechanism as a general purpose convenience. Specifically, the automatic mechanism to prevent doors from closing if there's something or someone in the way, is used to prevent doors from closing if you're running to catch the elevator. The problem, of course, is that these mechanisms (at least, the older ones) were not designed for regular use and are liable to fail. Having experienced two such failures (and witnessing a colleague nearly lose her arm by trying to hold open a door that was intent on closing) I make it a rule never to stick any body part between two automatic doors that are closing. I use the "Open Door" button if I'm inside the elevator, and I may use a briefcase to stop the door from closing, but never my arm, leg, or torso. <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

But I believe the "free-falling elevator" scenario is on a par with the "wings falling off the airplane" scenario.