Escalator Accident Attorneys
Escalators are fairly common, carrying people up and down to different levels of buildings at a fairly slow pace. They seem relatively harmless, until something goes wrong. You can suffer severe injury if an escalator is poorly designed, constructed or maintained. Injuries can be devastating, leading to extensive medical treatment, pain, suffering and even death.
Are Escalators More Dangerous Than Elevators?
Many people claim to be afraid of elevators, feeling that an elevator is far more dangerous than an escalator. However, accidents are 15 times more likely to occur on an escalator than in an elevator and more than 10,000 people visit emergency rooms after suffering an injury on an escalator.
Escalator Accidents
There are many ways that you can be injured on an escalator. Your age also impacts your risk of injury on the moving stairs as well as children aged five or younger and senior citizens 65 or older suffer more injuries than other age groups.
Some of the accidents that can lead to an injury include:
- Attempting to ride by sitting on handrails
- Excessive acceleration and/or deceleration
- Falling over handrails
- Lack of appropriate warning notices
- Lack of emergency shut-off capabilities
- Negligent escalator maintenance
- Shoes, clothing or garments catching in gaps of moving parts
- Slip and fall
Voluntary Standards
According to our escalator accident attorneys, escalators are manufactured under voluntary standards developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Consumer groups have petitioned the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to create required federal guidelines regarding the dangers of escalators.
Currently, however, unlike Europe and China, the United States has taken no action to address elevator deficiencies. This means that when an accident happens, nothing must be filed with the Department of Public Safety and many areas do not require annual public inspection of escalators. If there is a defect in an escalator, the manufacturer must only notify the owner of the equipment and not the public as is the case with most other products in the United States.
If you or a loved one were injured on an escalator in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware, contact Lundy Law today. Our investigators may determine that the escalator had broken or missing steps, missing teeth on the trackway or other damage that could have contributed to your injury. You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages as well as pain and suffering. Arrange for your initial, no obligation consultation by calling 1-800-Lundy Law or completing the simple form online.
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