Florida Elevator Injury Attorney
Nobody steps into an elevator or onto an escalator with the expectation of suffering a serious or fatal injury. Yet elevator and escalator accidents are more common than you might think, and they can affect people working on or near elevators as well as people who are simply using elevators or escalators instead of taking the stairs. Indeed, thousands of people are injured every year by elevators in the U.S. alone, according to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (ELCOSH). If you or someone you love sustained injuries while using or working on an elevator, you should seek advice from a Florida elevator injury attorney.
Learning More About Elevator Injuries in Florida
How often do elevator accidents happen, and how many people are injured? The following facts and figures come from ELCOSH and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Elevators and escalators result in approximately 30 fatal injuries every year in the United States;
- Approximately 17,000 nonfatal elevator and escalator injuries occur each year in the U.S.;
- Elevator and escalator injuries are often considered together by the CDC and other organizations, yet elevators are the cause of far more injuries than escalators, accounting for approximately 90 percent of all the fatal injuries reported and 60 percent of all serious injuries;
- About 50 percent of all elevator injury deaths affect workers who are installing, repairing, or maintaining elevators; and
- Elevator injuries commonly involve getting caught in or between the moving parts of the elevator, or falls in the elevator shaft.
Causes of Florida Elevator Injuries
What causes elevator injuries, either for workers who are installing or servicing elevators or patrons at buildings who use elevators and get hurt? The following are frequent causes of elevator injuries in various types of buildings and structures:
- Improper speed, which can result in elevator passengers falling while using the elevator or hitting their heads or other body parts on the elevator walls or other elevator passengers;
- Door defects, including problems with the door sensors, which can result in elevator passengers getting stuck or having a limb crushed by closing elevator doors; and
- Mis-leveling that results in doors opening before the elevator car arrives, which can result in falls into the elevator shaft, or trips and falls while trying to enter the elevator car.
These reasons for elevator injuries can result from defective elevator parts or components, or from negligent maintenance of the elevator. If you were injured in an elevator, you should have a Florida elevator injury attorney evaluate your case to determine whether you may be eligible to file a product liability lawsuit against the designer or manufacturer of the elevator or one of its components, or a lawsuit against the party who is responsible for negligent maintenance of the elevator.
Contact an Elevator Injury Lawyer in Florida Today
Do you need assistance filing an elevator injury claim? One of our experienced Florida elevator accident and injury attorneys can speak with you today about your options. Contact Halpern Santos & Pinkert, P.A. for more information about elevator accidents and the types of damages you may be eligible to receive by filing a claim.
