Disabled man says he was attacked inside elevator at Chelsea apartment building
CHELSEA, Manhattan (WABC) -- A disabled man is seeking justice and has filed a lawsuit after he says he was senselessly beaten inside his Chelsea apartment building.
On February 2, stroke survivor Richard Regen, 60, waited for the elevator in his building located on West 23rd Street.
The victim says that once he got into the elevator, 48-year-old Andrew Caban, a construction manager with M Daddio Inc., was waiting inside.
Regen has filed a civil lawsuit that claims that he was attacked by Caban -- completely unprovoked after he says he was punched twice in the head.
The lawsuit also holds Caban's employers, ABC Management Corp., and The Artists' Condominium responsible for the attack, as well as his lack of safety in his own home.
The lawsuit also says after the attack, Caban fled the scene and left Regen on the floor of the elevator, bleeding and unconscious.
Regen's wife, Lili, heard part of the assault through the closed elevator doors. She said no words explain the attack.
"It stopped, it went silent, I figured the guy saw he was disabled but now I know why I know what happened - he was beaten unconscious, that's why it was quiet," the victim's wife said.
The lawsuit says Regen was rushed to the ICU at Bellevue Hospital, where he spent eight days being treated for a brain bleed, traumatic brain injury, and seizures.
Regen underwent neurosurgery to repair his damaged skull, the lawsuit said.
The victim's wife said the worst part is that her husband was beaten and humiliated in his home.
Caban's attorney released a statement, saying that Caban maintains his innocence:
"The video of this incident did not record their verbal interaction and does not accurately capture what occurred. Andrew Caban has entered a plea of not guilty and maintains his innocence. The true circumstances will be determined in court, not in the press."
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