Chicago Escalator Accident Injury Lawyer
Escalators are handy devices to travel from one floor to the next when carrying bags, making them perfect for large retail stores and airports. There are over 30,000 escalators in the U.S., each handling an average of 3,000 people per hour.
Although escalators can reduce the strain of climbing stairs, they require powerful machinery with many moving parts that can be dangerous to their riders.
Were you injured in an elevator accident? Did you lose a loved one through a wrongful death caused by a lack of maintenance on an elevator or escalator?
The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can ensure you receive financial compensation for your serious injuries. Let us protect your rights today. Contact us online or call us at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) to schedule a free consultation.
Escalators Particularly Dangerous for Children
A moving walkway is intriguing to children and looks more like a carnival ride than a convenient device in an imaginative young mind. However, small hands, feet, and fingers are easily trapped and crushed in these devices’ moving parts, making them especially dangerous for children.
In 2006, Ohio State University published a study on escalator accidents involving children. They used thirty years’ worth of data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate the prevalence of escalator accidents in children from 0-19 years of age.
From 1990-2002 there were approximately 26,000 accidents involving these young children on elevating equipment and moving walkways.
Their research found that:
- Children five years or younger accounted for 13,000 who were harmed
- Falling was the most prevalent cause of injury
- Entrapment accounted for 29.3% of all bodily harmed victims, 36.5% in children under five
- Legs were the body part most often injured, except in children under five, who had their hand injured 40% of the time
- 833 injuries were amputations or avulsions, 71.4% of these children under five
The findings of the study revealed that the number of children under five who were injured was disproportionate. The study showed that better escalator design could prevent many of these injuries.
Reducing the gaps between the steps and sidewalls or adding guards could reduce the bodily harm that young children experience, especially entrapment hand injuries.
Elderly Escalator Injuries
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), an estimated 40,000 elderly people over seven years had an injury while riding an escalator in the United States. Falling was by far the most common cause of trauma for older persons hurt on moving walkways.
Some factors that may contribute to elevator and escalator injuries are:
- Balance issues
- Limited mobility
- Vertigo
- A lack of escalator and elevator safety measures
Elderly persons that use walking devices such as walkers or canes should avoid moving walkways altogether and use an elevator when available. As attorneys representing people in these lawsuits, our responsibility is to anticipate some of these defenses from the onset of the case to preemptively address these issues, which may lessen the case’s value with an addition of comparative fault.
An Illinois Escalator Injury Attorney Can Help
The Chicago, IL personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC regularly prosecute Chicago escalator and elevator accident cases involving injuries sustained in escalator and elevator accidents. We represent escalator accident victims injured in shopping malls, office buildings, high rises, and nursing homes.
Victims injured in office buildings and shopping malls have a legal right to seek financial compensation to restore their lives. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers represent victims injured on elevators and escalators. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757.
Were you injured in an elevator or on an escalator? Let our law office investigate and litigate your escalator accident case without any out-of-pocket expense on your part. Our accident attorneys are paid for our legal services in escalator and elevator accident cases only when we have secured your monetary recovery on your behalf.
During your free case evaluation, our Chicago lawyers will discuss how to hold the building owner financially accountable to pay compensation for your medical expenses, time away from work, property damage, pain-and-suffering caused by the accident.
Our Chicago elevator accident attorneys currently represent clients involved in premises liability injury cases throughout the United States, Illinois, and the Chicago area including Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, Naperville, and Waukegan.
Mechanical Malfunctions on Moving Walk-ways Resulting In Catastrophic Injuries
When an escalator malfunctions, it can easily cause serious injury accidents. Bodily harm may occur when an escalator suddenly speeds up, stops, or reverses direction.
- Fifteen people were injured when an escalator came to an abrupt halt at a Washington Redskin game in September 2012
- Six people were injured at a train station in New Jersey when the escalator changed direction in January 2013
- Four people were injured at a Bellevue, WA Macy store when the escalator malfunctioned and pieces began falling off in December 2012
Poor maintenance could attribute to elevator and escalator malfunctions. Property managers are required to ensure that the escalator and elevator cars are operating correctly.
Any failure to ensure the maintenance crews follow elevator safety guidelines could lead to premises liability issues. Usually, the building owner will hire a maintenance company to fix any problems.
Common injuries associated with escalator accidents include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, lacerations, cuts, and broken bones.
Escalator Accident Injuries FAQs
Our Chicago, IL personal injury and accident lawyers know you have many unanswered questions about filing and resolving a premises liability case after being hurt on an escalator elevator. An accident attorney has answered some of those questions below.
Call us at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free consultation with our personal injury law firm today. We are here to help.
Hiring a Chicago Elevator Accident Lawyer to Resolve Injury Lawsuits
Were you injured in an elevator or on an escalator? Are you facing extensive medical bills and have lost wages due to an escalator accident, and need money as soon as possible? Call us to discuss if you may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries through a premises liability claim.
Depending on the circumstance, the property owner and even the manufacturer or installer of the escalating equipment may be liable for your damages. Every accident attorney at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC to determine what entities are legally responsible for your injury.
Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) for a free consultation to discuss your injury case with an accident attorney. Let us gather evidence to build a successful premises liability claim to ensure you were paid for your serious injuries, pain, and suffering.
All discussions with our personal injury lawyers remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship. Our law office follows social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).
Our Illinois law offices represent clients in various practice areas, including car accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, premises liability, product liability, harmful drugs, truck accident injuries, elevator accident injury, and wrongful death.
Resources on escalator and elevator accidents, safety, and injury prevention:
- http://raleigh.legalexaminer.com/property-owners-liability-slip-and-fall/escalator-injuries-to-elderly-have-doubled.aspx
- http://www.elcosh.org/document/1232/d000397/Deaths%2Band%2BInjuries%2BInvolving%2BElevators%2Band%2BEscalators%2B-%2BA%2BReport%2Bof%2Bthe%2BCenter%2BTo%2BProtect%2BWorkers%2527%2BRights.html?show_text=1#7