Elevators in New York City are a necessity and a feature that is available in
almost every commercial and residential multi-story building. According to the city’s Department of Buildings, the city’s elevators make a staggering estimated 35 million passenger trips each day. There are approximately 84,000 elevators under the Department of Buildings’ jurisdiction in New York City and of those, 63,000 are passenger elevators. That number is more than the passenger elevators in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Miami combined.
However, elevator accidents are also a sad reality in New York City. If you have been injured in an elevator accident, you are probably concerned about how to handle your medical expenses and lost wages because of your injury. Our New York City elevator accident lawyers can help answer your questions and provide guidance during what can be a truly challenging time.
Steps to Take If You’re Injured in an Elevator Accident
Here are some of the important steps to take if you or a loved one has been injured in an elevator accident:
Medical attention: One of the first steps to take is to make sure you seek medical attention right away, even if you think you’re not hurt too badly. Some internal injuries such as bleeding, broken ribs or punctured lungs may not be noticed right away, but can result in serious complications. Only a doctor or medical professional will be able to determine the type of injuries you have sustained. Getting prompt medical attention will also help ensure that your injuries and treatments get properly documented and that a record is now available. This can be very helpful when you seek compensation.
Information from the accident scene: Try to get as much evidence as possible from the accident scene. If you have to go to the hospital immediately, enlist a friend or family member to do this for you, if possible. Important evidence from the scene include photos and videos of the elevator and the conditions around it and contact information for anyone who may have seen the accident occur.
Accident report: It is important that details of the incident are officially documented. So, make sure that you either file a report with a city agency and/or with the property manager and list the date, time, place of the accident and how it occurred.
Consult an elevator accident attorney: It is crucial that you get an experienced New York City elevator accident lawyer on your side right away. You need someone who has specifically worked on elevator accident cases and is well-versed in premises liability and personal injury law. Your chances of a favorable settlement or verdict increase significantly when you get an elevator accident lawyer on your side as soon as possible.
Responsibility of Property Owners/Managers
Property owners and/or property managers must ensure that the elevators in their buildings are well maintained and safe to operate. They can be held accountable for injuries and losses caused by an elevator accident, particularly if they failed to have the elevator maintained or didn’t make timely repairs. Some of the other parties who can be held responsible include elevator maintenance companies — for instance, when they fail to perform the repair and maintenance work correctly, and/or elevator manufacturers, for any component or equipment failure or due to defective design/manufacturing.
Injured victims can file what is known as a premises liability lawsuit against at-fault property owners and/or managing agents, elevator maintenance companies, etc. and seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Those who have lost loved ones in elevator accidents may be able to file wrongful death lawsuits against the negligent (careless) parties seeking compensation for their losses as well.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in an elevator/escalator accident or suffered injuries as a result of negligence (carelessness) on the part of property owners and/or property managers, elevator maintenance companies, etc., 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. In an interview by the Canadian television station Global News after a fatal escalator accident in Montreal, Mr. Kenneth A. Wilhelm stated that the installation of emergency stop buttons that are easily located and run the entire length of the escalator stairs can go a long way in preventing escalator accident injuries and fatalities. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
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, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases in New York, 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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