Elevators are a necessity in modern high rise buildings because efficient movement of people, supplies and materials is totally dependent on them. Unfortunately even the most modern elevators can cause serious injury or accidental death if they are not properly and regularly maintained.
Generally speaking, there are safeguards in place which protect users from elevator accidents. Property owners are required by law to maintain their elevators on their premises. The local government must inspect and license elevators. Unfortunately, these precautions can sometimes prove to no avail.
A few years ago, a young Manhattan executive was crushed to death by an elevator at her company’s New York headquarters. As she entered the car, it lurched forward and pinned her between the elevator floor and the top of the entrance way.
An elevator maintenance company had just serviced the elevator two weeks prior to an accident. This same firm had just been sued over an accident a nearby hotel.
Witnesses could only watch helplessly. Though fire officials initially believed the doors closed on the woman’s leg, they said later that it appeared from surveillance video and witness accounts that the doors remained open as the elevator suddenly ascended.
A spokesman for the Department of Buildings said that the elevator that killed the executive was last inspected by the department a few months prior to the accident and that “no safety issues were found at that time and no conditions were found that would be related to this accident.” There have been many violations issued against the building’s 13 elevators in recent years, but all were for administrative or non-hazardous conditions, the spokesman said.
If you have been involved in an elevator accident and you need the services of a Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles please contact us at (323) 947-2224 or visit the Personal Injury section on our website at the DAG Law Firm. Call today and we will connect you with Daniel A. Gibalevich, an experienced, aggressive, affordable Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles. After you have spoken with our Los Angeles Personal Injury Law attorney, we can schedule you a free face to face appointment to discuss your circumstances. If you have questions or are considering any aspect of Personal Injury Law, we can help! Call us now at (323) 947-2224. We look forward to hearing from you with any elevator accident claim.
