Elevator Accidents

Unfortunately, unsafe elevators are the source of many catastrophic injuries and even deaths across the country. Like any injury case, the legal theory of recovery for such harm is normally based on negligence. Several different parties can potentially be liable for injuries caused by a faulty elevator, including elevator manufacturers, designers, elevator maintenance companies, elevator installation companies, or building owners.

Typical elevator accidents involve circumstances such as a sudden free falling of the elevator, elevator doors slamming shut on people, falls into elevator shafts that are not visible, and defective elevator design and manufacturing.

An example of negligence on the part of the owner of a building where there is an elevator is where the owner fails to perform regular maintenance on the elevator. An example of negligence on the part of an installation company could be the faulty wiring of the elevator. An example of a defective design in an elevator could be where the gap between the door and the elevator is designed to be too wide, causing a dangerous condition where a person can fall in between the door and the elevator car itself.

There are also many types of elevators, including home elevators, automatic elevators, manual elevators, passenger elevators, and freight elevators. Depending on the type of elevator, the theory of recovery and the responsible parties can differ. A proper investigation of the circumstances of the elevator accident, the ownership and control of the elevator, who maintains the elevator, who installed the elevator, and who manufactured the elevator is imperative to building an elevator accident case.

Injuries that passengers of elevators can sustain are often serious due to the dangerous nature of elevators. Traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, spinal injuries, loss of limbs, and even death can occur, often requiring life-long medical care for the victims. Thus, getting help from a qualified lawyer is important to ensure that your legal rights are protected and that you obtain fair and reasonable compensation. If you or a family member has been injured by an elevator, call us today at (404) 593-2620 to speak to an attorney.