Escalator Injury
On Monday, an Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) maintenance crew was called upon to respond to a broken escalator at the 5th Avenue/53rd Street subway station in New York City. While an MTA employee acknowledge that the malfunctioning escalator could have caused a serious injury to commuters, luckily, there was no escalator injury as a result of this morning’s escalator break down.
However, many escalator malfunctions do result in injuries, and sometimes death. Each year, approximately 30 people are killed in elevator and escalator accidents in the United States, and almost 17,000 injuries occur each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. There are an estimated 70,000 elevators and escalators in New York City alone. They can be found everywhere from the subway to the local retail store, making them an every day part of life for New Yorker’s.
Escalator are powerful machines and if they malfunction, they can cause serious injuries to their riders. Escalator accidents may result in broken bones, soft tissue injuries, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries.
In addition, there are numerous ways that an escalator can malfunction. Common defects and causes of injuries include sudden and unforeseen changes in escalator speed, broken or missing steps, and loose teeth which may catch a hold of shoelaces or loose articles of clothing.
The attorneys at the Law Office of Louis Grandelli, P.C. focuses on litigating cases where people have sustained an escalator injury as a result of defective and improperly maintained escalators. Our attorneys work with the premiere escalator and elevator experts and are well-versed in the operation, maintenance, and record keeping required to keep escalators and elevators operating safely. This invaluable experience and knowledge enables our firm to perform fast and thorough investigations and push escalator and elevator owners and maintenance companies to ensure that you obtain the maximum recovery possible. Therefore, it is critical that you find the best attorneys for the job.
If you or a loved one has an escalator injury, please contact our New York escalator or elevator accident lawyers for a free consultation today.
