Injuries with elevators, unfortunately, happen very frequently and they happen for a variety of reasons. You would think that nothing could be simpler than pushing a button, getting on the elevator, and riding up or down to the floor that you are going to, and then getting off of the elevator. In that process, there are all types of things that could go wrong. If an elevator mislevels, meaning if the cab of the car is above the level of the floor that you’re walking into, it creates a tripping hazard. Although you are not expecting it or looking for it, and when you trip you could be propelled into the back wall of the elevator and sustain pretty serious injuries. If you’re exiting the elevator, either tripping or taking a step and the ground is not where you expect it to be because of the misleveling, this could also lead to very serious injuries.
Elevators are much more complex today than they were years ago. They are governed by many different codes, and standards, and local laws, and rules. Being involved in an accident with an elevator can happen for, as I said, any number of reasons. It could be a device on the top of the elevator called the controller that affects the leveling. It could be different component parts of the elevator that cause it to fall suddenly. Really, just about anything could go wrong.
We have experience in handling these cases and it is important that you talk to an attorney who’s handled these, and who has experts that you can call upon to examine the elevator, to decide what happen. We need to get all the maintenance records, the inspection records, the installation records, everybody who’s ever touched that elevator to determine was there something wrong with the elevator? What was wrong with the elevator? Who’s responsible for what happened to you? There are a lot of questions that need to be asked as well as answered to make sure that your case is as successful as it can be.
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.