Elevator and Escalator Accidents

New York City Escalator Accident Attorney

new york city escalator accident attorney

Escalator accidents are not common, but when they happen the injuries can be devastating.  This is when you need an attorney that is experienced in this specific area of the law.  There are overlapping and voluminous Federal, State, City and Local escalator and elevator laws and regulations governing inspection, installation, and maintenance which must be carefully applied to the facts.   An experienced New York City Escalator Accident Attorney will be familiar with all of these laws and regulations.  There are of many overlapping entities that might be responsible, such as a mall, maintenance company, installation company and/or a municipality (government entity.)  A thorough investigation by a New York City Escalator Accident Attorney will track them down.

New York City Elevator Accident Attorney

new york city elevator accident attorney

Engineering issues are also becoming more and more important in elevator cases.  These machines are becoming more and more sophisticated and complicated – with increasingly complex mechanical engineering and computer systems.  A thorough understanding of how elevators work is necessary to successfully prosecute these cases.  At New York City Elevator Accident Attorney Wittenstein & Wittenstein, we’ve been handling elevator cases for more than 60 years.  We have the experience and know how to handle your escalator or elevator accident case in the best way possible.  Call 718-216-8114 to schedule a free consultation.

Even though most large buildings have a service contract for escalator and/or elevator repair, poor maintenance is the leading cause of accidents.   Often the service contractor has failed to properly service and maintain the escalators and/or elevators.  For buildings without service contracts, the law requires that “trained professionals” be utilized to service, maintain and inspect on a regular basis, but often this is not even done on a yearly basis, causing many accidents.

TYPICAL ELEVATOR ACCIDENTS

  • Sudden acceleration or deceleration
  • Clothing caught in an escalator
  • Mis-leving
  • Operating at too high a speed
  • Defective governors or other parts
  • Failure of safety device
  • Entrapment in car
  • Improper maintenance of cable
  • Misfunctioning computer system

NEW YORK CITY ELEVATOR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY KNOWS WHAT EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY

  • Copies of contracts between the escalator/elevator company and the owner of the building
  • Security video from inside the elevator or viewing the escalator
  • Maintenance records for five year period before the accident
  • Governmental inspection records
  • The names of all employees that have serviced or inspected the escalator/elevator
  • List of suggested repairs that may or may not have been done
  • Upgrades

Elevator and escalator accidents can also happen on construction sites, where worker’s use them to travel from one floor to another.  This type of mechanism is using manutally operated and quite dangerous.  New York construction workers are protected by specific laws for accidents under these circumstances for construction accidents, which present exceptions from the worker’s compensation laws.  Sadly, injuries to children are also very common with escalator and elevator accidents.

If you or somebody you care about has been injured in an escalator or elevator accident in New York City (Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan or Staten Islan) or Nassau County, Long Island, we are here to help.  New York City Escalator Accident Attorney and New York City Elevator Accident Attorney, Wittenstein & Wittenstein has been helping victims for over 60 years.  We offer a free consultation and you don’t have to pay until we collect money for you.  Please call us at 718-261-8114 for an appointment.

FREE CONSULTATION
NO FEE UNLESS WE WIN

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