Elevators are a straightforward, mundane part of many New Yorker’s days. When you come aboard an elevator, the last thing on your mind is an accident. However, when an elevator accident occurs, the injuries sustained as a result are very often severe. This is why most people involved in these accidents immediately seek financial compensation to help cover the cost of their medical bills, in-home care, lost wages, and more. If you are looking to recover financial compensation following a serious elevator accident, here are some of the questions you may have:
What are some of the most frequent contributors to elevator accidents?
Since elevators are composed of so many parts, multiple things can cause an accident. Some of the most common contributors to elevator accident injuries are as follows:
- Drive malfunction
- Improper installations
- Pully system malfunction
- Negligent elevator design
- Power failures
- Failing to keep equipment up-to-date
- Door operator errors
- Faulty wiring
- Abrupt stops
- Mechanical breakdown
- Control system malfunction
What are the most common types of elevator accidents?
- Electrocutions
- Serious falls
- Passengers being caught in between malfunctioning doors
- Passengers being whipped around due to excessive elevator speed
- People tripping due to unbalanced leveling with the floor
What are injuries are most commonly sustained in elevator accidents?
Some of the injuries that have recovered financial compensation in the past are as follows:
- Back injuries
- Head trauma
- Neck injuries
- Broken bones
- Severed limbs
- Cuts and bruises
- Crush injuries
- Wrongful death
How do I recover compensation following a New York elevator accident?
In all personal injury cases, to recover compensation, you must first prove you were injured due to another party’s negligence. However, when you were injured in an elevator accident, your attorney will have to determine whether you were injured due to a negligent property owner, a negligent elevator design, or by a negligently manufactured elevator. If you were injured because a property knew, or should have reasonably known about a potential safety hazard, you may have a valid premises liability lawsuit. However, if you were injured because an elevator was negligently designed, you will most likely end up filing a product liability suit.
To prove another party’s negligence, there are several things you and your attorney can do. First, you should ask any witnesses for their contact information so they can verify your claim if need be. Additionally, you should always seek medical attention immediately following your accident, as a medical professional will treat your injuries accordingly and provide you with medical documentation regarding your injuries that you may also use to prove your claim. Perhaps most importantly, you should always hire an experienced attorney who is more than familiar with the personal injury process who is willing to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Contact our experienced Westchester County firm
Hausman & Pendzick effectively represent victims of neglect in Westchester County and across the state of New York. If you need a knowledgeable and skilled personal injury attorney to help you recover compensation after an accident, contact Hausman & Pendzick today.