A 4-year-old boy suffered fatal injuries in an elevator accident in Brooklyn after he fell down a garage elevator shaft. According to a report in The New York Times, the incident occurred when the boy was riding in a freight elevator to the third floor of the garage on Union Street in the Park Slope neighborhood with his parents. The boy then slipped through a 10-inch gap between the elevator and the wall, falling 50 feet. He was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the Times article, the building has more than 100 parking spaces that are sold for $300,000 each. A spokesman for the New York City Buildings Department said the elevator was being investigated and that the department had issued a cease-use order for the elevator until further review. The garage reportedly has two freight elevators. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this deceased child.
Elevator Accidents
About 27 people are killed in elevator accidents each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Every year, about 10,000 people nationwide are injured due to elevator accidents. Nearly 50 percent of elevator-related fatalities involve workers such as construction workers or repairmen. For victims who were using elevators in locations such as apartment buildings, nearly half of the deaths were due to falls in the elevator shaft and the other half occurred as a result of being caught between the elevator and the shaft wall.
Common Causes of Elevator Accidents
There may be a number of reasons why elevator accidents occur. The doors may be faulty or some part may have malfunctioned. Here are some of the most common causes of elevator accidents that cause major injuries or fatalities:
• Falls into Shafts: This type of elevator accident causes the most severe injuries and the highest number of fatalities. Some reasons why these falls occur include shafts that are inoperable, defective doors, gaps in the elevator or removal of passengers from a stalled elevator by untrained personnel. In such cases, there is a need for careful examination in order to determine who or what caused the incident.
• Mis-leveling: This occurs when the elevator fails to come to a stop that is level with the floor of the hallway. Mis-leveling often happens in brake-controlled elevators and may also occur in hydraulic elevators due to valve leakage and other maintenance issues.
• Faulty sliding doors: This is when a passenger is struck or crushed by a closing elevator door. This type of accident occurs when the door malfunctions or is defective. In older apartment buildings in New York City, swing-type outer doors can cause crushing injuries to fingers and hands if they close too quickly.
• Excessive speed: When an elevator moves at excessive speed, then passengers may get thrown to the floor or against the walls of the elevator and suffer serious injuries to the spine, ankles, knees or other body parts.
• Electrocution or shock: This may occur due to improper wiring performed by the elevator contractor or maintenance technicians. Passengers may be vulnerable to these types of injuries when elevators malfunction.
Seeking Compensation
Depending on the nature and circumstances of the incident, several parties may potentially be held liable for an elevator accident. In many cases, plaintiffs may be able to file a premises liability claim against the property owner and/or property manager for failing to maintain the elevator. The maintenance company may be held liable for improper or inadequate repairs as well.
An experienced personal injury lawyer will examine all aspects of the case and help plaintiffs seek maximum compensation for their losses. Injured victims of elevator accidents can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an elevator accident or if you have lost a loved one in an elevator accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our law firm recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/nyregion/boy-4-dies-after-falling-in-brooklyn-elevator-shaft.html