Elevators/Escalators Injury Lawyers

Without giving it a second thought, Americans regularly avoid taking the stairs and opt to ride an elevator or escalator when traveling to different levels of office buildings, hospitals, malls, airports, stadiums, apartment complexes and condominiums. Yet, surprising to some, there are nearly 20,000 injuries each year due to elevator and escalator accidents, with a small number of these premises liabilities leading to death.

Because there are more elevators than escalators, more injuries are reported in relation to this carrier. Specifically, elevator accidents may result from the following:

• Malfunctioning of the pulley system (causing the elevator to plummet)
• Faulty wiring
• Inadequate maintenance or inspection by unauthorized personnel
• Misalignment (when the elevator doesn’t line up with the floor)
• Design defect

While any of the above mentioned causes could prove fatal, most elevator-related deaths occur while the shaft to the elevator is open during an install or repair, meaning that most elevator-related deaths involve repairmen and maintenance employees.

In regard to escalator-related accidents, young children and the elderly are particularly at risk for sustaining injuries, which typically result from:

• Entrapment of an article of clothing, shoe or a body part in the small spaces between the moving sections of the escalator
• Falling on the steps of the escalator
• Falling over the side of the handrail of the escalator

When unsuspecting riders suffer an injury on an elevator or escalator, some wonder who is liable for their injuries. Was the property owner negligent? Had the elevator been inspected accordingly? Was there a defect in the design of the carrier?

The elevator and escalator injury attorneys at CHS Injury Lawyers in North Charleston have dedicated their professional lives to personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. If you’ve been injured on an elevator or escalator due to another’s negligence, you need to be compensated for any medical attention you’ve received, as well as time away from work and other losses.

Not sure if your situation applies? Contact CHS Injury Lawyers for a free evaluation of your accident and injury.

Injured On An Elevator Or Escalator? Call CHS Injury Lawyers Today

As with any mechanical device, elevators and escalators pose a serious threat to riders each day, with most injuries being due to some degree of malfunction.

Reported cases include several accounts of fingers and toes being amputated after becoming entangled in a moving escalator. An investigation into one case revealed that the escalator had been inspected by unlicensed workers, while the company had avoided state inspections altogether. Yet, in a case involving an elevator accident, an elderly woman tripped while exiting the elevator, suffering a fractured pelvic bone, while another report told of a maintenance worker that was tragically crushed when an elevator fell.

CHS Injury Lawyers is positioned to help victims that have been injured in an elevator or escalator accident due to the negligence of a manufacturer, inspector, property owner or management company. For peace of mind and greater insight in the wake of your injury, contact us today for a free evaluation of your case.