Lawyers For The People

Elevator Accidents: An Unexpected Danger?

| Sep 17, 2019 | Uncategorized

New York Elevator Accidents

Most of us don’t give elevators much thought – after all, an elevator ride is typically a mundane part of a person’s day. However, these machines can be extremely dangerous if they are improperly maintained or designed.

If you’ve been hurt in a New York elevator accident, we can help you recover fair compensation. Call (607) 228-8404 to hold negligent parties responsible.

Elevator Accident Cases

On New Year’s Eve in 2016, 25-year-old Stephen Hewett-Brown was killed in Manhattan while riding an elevator. Another elevator located higher in the elevator shaft malfunctioned and fell, crushing the elevator he was riding in. Although Hewett-Brown died a hero, shoving another passenger out of the way, the history of violations accrued by the building suggest that he shouldn’t have died at all.

The building underwent a $96 million renovation in 2012, but the elevators were not touched. The elevator had accrued 10 Department of Building violations in the last two years alone. The events on New Year’s Eve haunt the building’s tenants who are now afraid to use the elevator in their own homes.

Another man was crushed by an elevator in Williamsburg in October of 2015, and an electrician was brutally killed on a Carnival cruise ship just a few days before the incident in Manhattan.

More recently, another young man was killed in August 2019 when an elevator in his Manhattan apartment building suddenly dropped out from under him as he was exiting the car into the lobby of the building. This case is the most recent in an alarming rash of recent elevator-related accidents.

Elevator Accident Statistics

The CDC reports that as of 2006, elevators and escalators were responsible for killing about 30 people and injuring about 17,000 people per year in the United States. Those most commonly affected in these incidents are workers working on or near elevators. It is not uncommon for workers to fall into an elevator shaft or even be struck by an elevator car.

Call (607) 228-8404 To Pursue Justice

So what are the odds of an elevator falling? These events are harrowing, but elevators are, overwhelmingly, a safe alternative to the stairs. However, these incidents point to the incredible importance of regular maintenance and monitoring of these machines. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in an elevator accident, contact our Oneonta personal injury attorneys today to pursue justice. Our award-winning team stands ready to fight on behalf of you and your family in an elevator lawsuit.

Have you been hurt or lost a loved one in an elevator or escalator accident in Oneonta or the surrounding communities? Contact Scarzafava, Basdekis & Dadey, PLLC today for a free case consultation.

Archives

Categories