Slip & Fall Accident In An Elevator
When you slip and fall, it can be a devastating and embarrassing ordeal. You can end up injuring yourself, both
immediately and long-term, and that can lead to extended time off work or other activities, as well as tie you down when you have to consider both rehabilitation and recovery time from those injuries. As distressful as all of that may be, the worst part about a slip and fall is when it simply isn’t your fault, when you fall victim to neglect or irresponsible management. One particular incident of this is slipping and falling in an elevator, whether it be from poor maintenance or design, regardless, if you are not responsible for your accident you may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries and rehabilitation.
How Did That Happen?
There are several reasons why you may have an accident in an elevator, which can range from irregular stopping and jerking, wet floors, doors closing too fast or strong, poor leveling and or safety components that don’t work properly. If you have been injured by entering or exiting an elevator or once you are inside, you should know that you can be compensated for it and you can contact companies such as ours to represent you, ensuring you have the best chance of getting the kind of settlement that is most deserving to your circumstances. Whether it’s the business itself that owns the elevator, the residence in which you live in or the company that neglectfully repaired or ensured that such incidents were protected against in the first place, these entities can be liable for your damages incurred if it can be proven that the reason for your fall is because of their neglect.
In 2011 in New York City, a 41-year-old business executive was killed after a freak-accident when she had her leg caught as the elevator door of the Madison Avenue office building she worked at and was subsequently pulled into the shaft where she eventually died. Suzzane Hart, a Y&R Advertising employee in the 26-story-building, unfortunately lost her life and although this is a rare and extreme incidence that occurred, one that could very well occur to you. Just this past year, another death was reported as a maintenance worker at Decatur-Morgan Hospital in Alabama died after the elevator he was repairing collapsed on him and crushed him. Michael “Dewayne” Atkins was working alone on the elevator when it lost its bearings and led to his unfortunate and completely preventable death. The hydraulic-powered elevator had no history of previous disrepair and was up-to-date on its safety inspections, showing you that no matter how safe you may think an elevator is, you just never know.
Rare But Not Uncommon
While those cases are again extreme and very rare, they show there is a wide-range of accidents that can occur in any elevator situation. More commonly, the kinds of accidents that would occur in an elevator would come from falling either boarding or exiting the car, because of poor accessibility and forcing strain to your body. If you have ever had to pull open a closing door with your own jaws of life, you know how aggravating this can be to your body. Or, once riding, maybe the cart you are riding in constantly jerks and a shake, leaving you with various muscle ailments as your body tries to adjust to the sudden impact you are enduring. Perhaps there are spilled messes within or around the elevator entrances, and as such, cause you to slip when entering the elevator. Or it could be as complex as elevator malfunction as you ride that end up with you as the one paying the price of faulty-performing mechanics.
Whatever the case may be, we want to speak to you! The Philly Slip and Fall Guys are experts at analyzing and determining the key issues around the accidents of those in our community and coming up with the best course of action to make sure your injuries don’t go unnoticed. We represent a wide-range of clients for many different types of accidents, because we believe that in cases where it’s not your fault, you are entitled to feel relief in your recovery. Being hurt and injuring yourself is never fun, and we are there to let you know that we are here to hold those accountable who did to you.