The dangers of non-tempered glass have been known for decades. Yet, thousands of people continue to suffer severe debilitating, and deadly injuries because manufacturers refuse to provide safety glazing materials that significantly reduce the chances of injuries when the glass shatters.
Safety glass has existed since the 1960s, so it is inexcusable for property owners and manufacturers to use materials that place people at a greater risk.
Did you or your loved one sustain plate glass injuries? Contact the Chicago premises liability lawyers Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC if so. We serve clients whose injuries could have been avoided or would have been minor had it not been for the presence of non-tempered glass.
Contact our plate glass injury attorney toll-free at (888) 424-5757 for a free consultation to determine your legal options.
How Safety Glazing Works
Non-tempered glass fractures into large and jagged pieces when it shatters or is broken in an accident. Injuries caused can result in some of the most serious, debilitating, and deadly wounds because of how sharp glass is and how easily it can break into smaller pieces.
Many victims suffer additional complications when the glass breaks after entering the body or when doctors have difficulty extracting the fragments without damaging major blood vessels, nerves, or muscle tissue.
Safety glass is the term used for glass produced using safety glazing or safety coatings and is also referred to as tempered glass.
Typically, safety glass, like automotive glass, reduces the chance of personal injury because the safety glazing causes the plate of glass to shatter into hundreds or thousands of tiny pieces that are less likely to cause serious harm to a victim.
The smaller pieces of glass are less likely to break after entering the skin and are not as sharp or jagged as non-tempered forms of glass. Tempered glass is also much stronger than non-tempered glass, which is less likely to break.
Property Owners Are Required to Install Safety Glass
Federal regulations have existed since 1977, requiring property owners and contractors to install safety glass in locations that can be considered hazardous, such as in sliding patio doors, exit doors, and windows that may be used as exits in an emergency.
Non-tempered glass may still exist in buildings constructed before 1977 and is still widely used in many products despite its safety concerns. Consumers’ and residents’ safety should never take a back seat to the cost required to provide a safe environment to all invited onto a property.
The premises liability lawyers at our law firm have encountered clients who suffered severe lacerations because of what would have otherwise been minor accidents with doors and windows made of non-tempered glass. The glass injuries that can result from these incidents include:
- Deep lacerations that cause rapid blood loss, damage to nerves, and tissue damage
- Wounds that may become infected, requiring immediate medical attention and possible amputation
- Paralysis or loss of feeling to the affected limb
- Permanent scarring
- Internal injuries caused by broken glass and sharp fragments that remain inside the body
- Fatal injuries
Door accidents frequently involve a person’s head or neck and can cause serious injuries. The building codes in most jurisdictions require that plate glass be impact-resistant to avoid injury.
Installing Tempered Glass to Reduce Glass Injuries
Safety glazing laws were enacted to protect the public from being injured by shards of shattered glass. Safety glazing materials are necessary for many doors, windows, and enclosures.
A patio door is made of a large pane, typically four to eight feet wide and six feet tall. If the doors shatter, the glass could shatter as well.
A window is a sheet of glass held in place by a frame. Sometimes, a window is made with two or more panes separated by metal or plastic.
Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer to Resolve Your Chicago Plate Glass Injury
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC is dedicated to finding justice on behalf of our injured clients and has successfully represented thousands of people whose injuries could have been avoided had others not acted irresponsibly or negligently.
If you have been injured in a plate glass accident, contact our law firm to learn more about your legal options and how we can help you recover the compensation you are entitled to for the cost of your medical care and out-of-pocket expenses.
Contact our law firm toll-free at (888) 424-5757 and schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
Our lawyers operate on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t have to pay us any attorney fee for our legal services unless we win your case. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.
