Accidents on stairs can happen for any number of reasons. Because gravity is involved, the injuries can sometimes be very serious and lifelong. They can happen for any number of reasons. They could be a perfectly fine staircase, completely up to code, no problems with it, but you may lose your balance and fall down the stairs. In a situation like that, there’s probably not anybody responsible for it, other than yourself. Many times stairs themselves are just dangerous: they’re old, they’re rickety; the carpet on them is coming up; the risers are uneven; the geometry of the staircase is off. As your mind is processing going down the staircase, it causes you to lose your balance and to fall.
One of the things we do when we look at staircase accidents is we have an expert go out to do a detailed measurement diagram and photographing of the stairs, and the surrounding area, to determine what it was that actually caused the person to fall. The client may tell us that she stubbed her foot on something and then she fell down the stairs. The investigation will show that there is a rise which is not within the accepted building standards if the top of the stairs just at the end of that step is what caused her to lose her balance. We’re able to document that and make sure that is included in the reports, so we can establish what happened to that person and move forward with her case.
Other times, a staircase will be missing a handrail, which usually is required by code for most staircases. The handrail is the last chance a person has to prevent themselves from falling. If the handrail comes off of their hands, or there is no handrail at all, or they can’t grasp the handrail, that’s another theory we can proceed on to help recover from your injuries if you fall down the stairs. Even if you fall down a perfect flight of stairs, and it’s a physical problem with you that causes you to fall, the lack of that handrail may mean that someone is responsible for your injury. We’re happy to look into it for you.
If you are in need of legal counsel in regards to a personal injury in New York, please contact The Law Offices of Jonathan D. Sands and we would be happy to assist you.