When the elevator stopped, it caused a huge vibration throughout the building. Three elevator mechanics inside the elevator suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The New York City Department of Buildings said there was no damage to the building and also that there is no danger to public safety for those located inside or outside of the building. The investigation into the cause of the elevator malfunction is ongoing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured victims and we wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Elevator Accident Statistics
According to data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, elevators and escalators kill about 30 people and seriously injure about 17,000 people each year in the United States. Elevators cause almost 90% of the deaths and 60% of the serious injuries. Injuries to people who are working on or near elevators — including those installing, repairing and maintaining elevators, and working in or near elevator shafts — account for almost half of the annual deaths.
Half of the deaths of workers operating in or near elevator shafts were due to falls into the shaft. Incidents where workers were caught in/between moving parts of elevators and elevators, are in or on elevators or platforms that collapse, or are struck by elevators or counterweights, also account for many of the injuries.
Elevator Safety for Workers
Here are some of the measures recommended to prevent elevator-related deaths and injuries:
• Making sure safety training is provided to all workers in a language they can understand.
• De-energizing and locking out electrical circuits and mechanical equipment when elevators are out of service or being repaired.
• Providing fall protection during work in or near elevator shafts.
• Having a proper and routine inspection and maintenance program for elevators.
• Proving employees with adequate job training and hiring qualified workers for the job.
Determining Liability
Property owners and property managers have a responsibility to make sure that their elevators are well maintained and equipped with necessary safety features. The building owner and property manager or management company may be held accountable for the injuries and losses that occur as a result of an elevator accident and if they had failed to maintain the elevator or didn’t make timely repairs, etc.
Some of the other parties who can be held responsible in such cases include elevator maintenance companies that had performed a repair incorrectly or an elevator manufacturer, especially if any of the components (parts) had not functioned properly due to defective design or manufacturing, etc. In addition, private companies that inspect elevators can also be held liable, especially if it is discovered that they did not perform the inspections properly.
Injured victims of elevator or escalator accidents can file a premises liability lawsuit against at-fault property owners and/or managing agents, 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
Workers who have been injured in an accident can seek workers’ compensation benefits from their employer. In addition, workers and their families may be able to file a third-party lawsuit for substantial money damages against a number of parties, and thus have two sources of compensation. In cases where a worker dies from injuries suffered on the job, surviving family members may seek death benefits through workers’ compensation and/or file a wrongful death claim against a third party. Third-party claims are filed against parties other than the employer or co-employees and may include general contractors, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents, construction companies, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an elevator or escalator accident or suffered injuries as a result of negligence (carelessness) on the part of property owners and/or property managers 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 may 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 including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy 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.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://abc7ny.com/one-vanderbilt-elevator-malfunction-workers-injured-nyc/12988330/