Every day, millions of Americans use elevators to get to their home and office. The same can be said about escalators, though they are not as common in apartment complexes. Still, millions of people across the U.S. use escalators in office buildings, shopping malls, train stations, grocery stores, and other types of property.
We tend to take for granted that elevators and escalators will function smoothly, though everyone has heard about elevator and escalator accidents in the news at least once.
When an elevator or escalator malfunctions, the unsuspecting rider can suffer serious injuries. Luckily, with a Kansas City elevator and escalator injury attorney by your side, you can determine who is responsible for the malfunction because your lawyer will review how the elevator or escalator was installed, inspected, and maintained. Our law firm in the Kansas City, Missouri area has experience in all kinds of personal injury cases and can offer a free case evaluation to help determine the strength of your elevator accident claim.
Why Do Escalator & Elevator Accidents Occur?
Elevators and escalators are responsible for an estimated 17,000 injuries per year, while about 30 Americans die in these accidents across the U.S, as a result of dangerous conditions that result in a fall or crash.
Reasons why people get injured while using elevators and escalators vary, but more often than not, it can be linked to negligence or recklessness on the part of property owners or operators of these transportation devices.
Causes of elevator and escalator accidents include:
- A manufacturing defect
- A design defect
- Improper installation
- Lack of warnings;
- Inadequate inspection or lack thereof
- Improper maintenance
- Negligent security
- Inadequate hiring or training of maintenance personnel
- Mechanical or electrical failure
- Abrupt stops or reversals
- Tripping hazards
- Wet or slippery surfaces
- Faulty wiring
- Inadequate or lack of fall protection
- Missing or broken handrails
Our skilled elevator and escalator injury lawyers at Townsend Law LLC will review your case to determine which party was at fault for your injury.
Types Of Elevator And Escalator Accidents
Our lawyers have handled various types of elevator and escalator accidents, including:
- Elevator door entrapment
- Car entrapment
- Mis-leveling
- Sudden acceleration or deceleration
- Overspeed
- Defective parts and components
- Improper maintenance
- Communication failure
More often than not, improper installation or defects in escalators and elevators can be detected by timely and thorough inspection and must be remedied and repaired through servicing and maintenance.
Common Elevator Accident Injuries
There can be a plethora of serious injuries that result from an elevator accident or escalator accident, such as:
- Broken bones
- Brain injury and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Burn injuries
- Amputation
- Birth injuries if the victim is pregnant
- Other catastrophic injuries from fall accidents
- Wrongful death
Nearly all elevator accidents that result in serious injury require intensive medical care, which causes medical bills to pile up and the loss of wages as you’re out of work while you recover. These injuries can be just as severe as a car accident or truck accident, as can the medical expenses that are commonly associated with those injuries.
This is why you need an elevator accident attorney to provide legal advice on how to proceed with your personal injury claim, so that all of the facts can be gathered and reviewed by a professional so we can fight for maximum compensation in your injury case.
The accident lawyers at our law firm can offer a free consultation to discuss your injury case. We can help with the stresses of working for the insurance companies, medical expenses, and more during your case.
Types Of Legal Claims In Elevator And Escalator Accidents
More often than not, there are two types of legal claims that arise from elevator and escalator accidents: Premises liability and product liability.
If your Kansas City elevator and escalator injury lawyer investigates your case and determines that your accident occurred due to a design, manufacturing, or warning defect, you may have a valid product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the elevator or escalator.
If the defect is found in one of its parts or components and the main manufacturer of the transportation device has nothing to do with the mistake, then you might be able to sue the designer or manufacturer of that specific part or component.
However, in many cases, elevators and escalators cause injuries when they are not properly inspected or maintained by the property owner and the maintenance personnel. In that case, your attorney can help you pursue a premises liability claim.
Both a product liability and premises liability claim can become complicated if you cannot determine which party violated a duty of care or struggle with collecting sufficient evidence to prove fault. In that case, you should get help from a personal injury lawyer to evaluate your case.
Choosing to contact a qualified attorney is an important decision. Our law firm has experience in many practice areas including, personal injury law, wrongful death, premises liability cases, construction site accidents, and more.
We strive to develop a strong attorney-client relationship and will fight for you legal rights in your serious injury case.
Contact Townsend Law LLC, by calling at 833-869-6529 or filling out our contact form. You can get a free initial consultation.