For millions of New York residents, elevators are a crucial part of their daily commute. New York City alone is home to over 76,000 elevators, far more than any other city in the country. These elevators serve as a means of transporting people within both residential and commercial buildings.
Whether it’s an office building or a residential property, elevators make life a lot easier. As a crucial part of the Big Apple’s infrastructure, you would expect all elevators to be in the best shape possible – and many are. Nevertheless, some elevators are not well-maintained and may end up hurting passengers.
If you have been involved in an elevator accident, the New York law firm of Hill & Moin LLP can help you. Elevator accident cases can be complicated, but don’t let their complexity prevent you from receiving a fair elevator accident lawsuit settlement.
Having skilled personal injury attorneys on your side who are knowledgeable and experienced in handling elevator accident cases in New York is necessary. Contact Hill & Moin LLP today at (212) 668-6000 to speak to a qualified elevator accident lawyer.
What are the Types of Elevator Accident Cases in New York, NY?
Before you may file an elevator lawsuit, the type of accident caused by the faulty elevator must be specified. This is vital since injuries sustained in elevator incidents can be similar to injuries resulting from other types of accidents.
Some of the more common elevator accident cases may involve:
- Sudden elevator stoppage – This may cause the passengers or occupants to be thrown against the wall or ceiling of the elevator, resulting in injuries such as broken bones or dislocations
- Trapped limbs or falls into the elevator shaft – Elevators are designed in such a way that the carriage must align properly with the floor before passengers can step out; if there is poor alignment, the passenger’s limbs might get caught in the space in-between or the passenger may fall down the shaft
- Door entrapment – This happens when the elevator doors malfunction and close before a passenger gets into the carriage, thus trapping his or her body; if the doors refuse to open back up before the elevator starts moving, the passenger may suffer severe personal injury
- Sudden elevator acceleration or deceleration – This can be a terrifying experience and may lead to serious or fatal injuries
- Being caught in or compressed by elevator equipment – This can happen to regular passengers, maintenance staff, and elevator repairmen
- Overspeeding elevators – This can cause severe injuries and psychological trauma in people; in fact, individuals who have experienced an overspeeding elevator incident have been known to take multiple flights of stairs instead, even if climbing the stairs hurts them
If you sustained a personal injury because of one or more of the aforementioned scenarios, you need a results-oriented personal injury lawyer in New York with the ability to pursue financial compensation to fight for you and provide legal guidance.
Call Hill & Moin LLP today at (212) 668-6000 for a free case evaluation.
Causes of Elevator Accidents in New York, NY
In New York, elevator accidents are rare, but these accidents happen far more often than they ought to. When elevator accidents occur, they can be truly devastating. This state records an average of 50 fatalities annually from elevator accidents. Unfortunately, most of these accidents could have been prevented.
Elevator accidents are often caused by a few major and minor issues. Most of these issues can be fixed if property managers are proactive. Unfortunately, New York City and other areas throughout the state have buildings where the property manager does nothing about existing problems.
Understanding what caused the elevator incident is vital to your case. When you approach a personal injury attorney in New York City who knows how to approach elevator accident cases, the attorney can ascertain the cause. Hill & Moin LLP has a wide network of New York-based attorneys who have worked on many elevator incident cases.
Some of the more common causes of elevator accidents that we have seen include:
- Poor hoist cable maintenance
- Poorly maintained safety device
- Interlock circuit bypass
- Elevator equipment failure
- Poor general maintenance routines
- Delaying the process of fixing the issues early
- Non-existent or altered safety features
- Elevator repairman’s lack of experience
- Penny-pinching by the repair and maintenance companies
- Mistakes made by workers when constructing, dismantling, or repairing the equipment
- Negligence and carelessness on the part of the property management firm
Sadly, these causes of accidents can lead to severe injuries like broken bones, mental distress, psychological trauma, joint dislocations, arm and leg/knee injuries, head injuries, brain damage, and wrongful death. If the accident was caused by someone’s carelessness or negligence, the person or organization may be held responsible. This entity may very well be the target of your personal injury claim or lawsuit.
Want to find more about filing a personal injury claim against the person or organization responsible for your injuries? Contact Hill & Moin LLP at (212) 668-6000 to speak to qualified New York elevator accident lawyers who can answer your questions.
How to Prove Liability in a New York Elevator Accident Case
Each elevator in New York City is under the care of a person or organization responsible for passenger safety aboard the elevators. The organization or individual in charge must see to the maintenance, repair, and safety of the elevators.
Under the entity’s care, the elevators are expected to function properly and be safe for everyone who uses them. If the operator or owner fails to provide these conditions, the owner or operator may be held liable for any serious injuries or deaths caused by accidents involving the elevator.
As skilled and experienced elevator accident attorneys, we know how to find the cause of your accident and file a lawsuit against all responsible parties. Your lawsuit will mostly be centered on the negligence and/or carelessness by the erring party.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. You may get adequate compensation if you engage the services of an elevator accident lawyer in New York. The lawyers of Hill & Moin value the attorney-client relationship and will always put you and your interests first. If you would like to know more about how skilled New York personal injury lawyers can help you recover compensation, get in touch with us today.
Call us at (212) 668-6000 to speak to a lawyer and have your case evaluated for free.
What Will Your New York City Elevator Accident Lawyer Need to Prove Your Case?
Elevator injury settlement amounts often depend on a number of factors. First, your personal injury lawyer will have to prove that the at-fault party broke contract somehow. When you use an elevator in a building, the persons in charge of keeping the elevators safe are automatically required to keep you safe.
When the property owners, managers, or organizations in charge of the elevator’s safety do not do their job, you may be able to sue for a wide range of offenses. To successfully sue all erring parties and facilitate the recovery of your claim, your NYC elevator accident attorney must prove that you were injured due to the at-fault party’s negligence.
Before your case can be proven, it is important to investigate the cause of the accident; to determine why it happened in the first place. This often involves the following:
- Checking the CCTV cameras in the elevator
- Examining all relevant contract agreements and work records for a period leading up to the accident
- Requesting all testing documents to prove that the elevator repair or management company routinely carried out all necessary tests including load testing
- Requesting all inspection reports and correspondence between the property owner or manager and the elevator firm
- Asking for documents detailing all repair recommendations to see if these repairs were carried out
These are just some of the steps that elevator accident lawyers take when handling these cases. There are many more actions to take, all of which are designed to get to the bottom of the problem and prove that the at-fault party was negligent.
If you would like to have your elevator accident case reviewed by an experienced New York personal injury law firm, Hill & Moin LLP may be able to help.
Call (212) 668-6000 to speak to experienced attorneys about your case and to learn your Personal Injury Recovery SolutionsⓇ. Don’t wonder about your rights!
