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Omaha Elevator/Escalator Accident Attorneys

Protecting Your Rights When an Elevator or Escalator Malfunctions in Omaha

Thousands of people in the greater Omaha area use elevators and escalators to navigate up and down multistory buildings. We have come to rely on the safety of this equipment, out of necessity in many cases. It is not practical to take the stairs to the office in the morning if you work on the 15th floor. In most cases, they function as they should, but things can and do go wrong with elevators and escalators. When they do, people can be seriously injured.

How Do Elevator and Escalator Injuries Happen?

People working on or near elevators and escalators have sustained serious or fatal injuries from:

  • Falls down elevator shafts
  • Being struck by an elevator car, struck by a counterweight, or caught in an elevator mechanism
  • Elevator collapsing with worker onboard
  • Electrocutions during maintenance
  • Explosions
  • Falling materials

When they malfunction, elevators and escalators can also cause injury or death to passengers. These types of accidents may involve:

  • Falls into elevator shafts, when the door opens but there is no elevator car
  • Getting caught in the elevator door
  • Getting caught between the elevator and the shaft
  • Falls from escalators
  • Entrapment at the bottom or top of an escalator
  • Entrapment between a moving stair and escalator sidewall

What Are the Causes of Elevator and Escalator Injuries?

When elevators and escalators malfunction, it usually results from poor maintenance. Lack of proper maintenance can lead to abrupt stops, malfunctioning doors, misleveling (when the elevator car is not aligned with the floor of the building), or even a catastrophic, free-falling elevator crash. Owners and managers of larger buildings may contract out elevator inspections and maintenance. Some onsite elevator companies may fail to properly service and maintain the building’s elevators. Or the owner of the building may fail to hire trained professionals to inspect, maintain, and service its elevators.

Escalator accidents are also caused by lack of proper inspection, maintenance, and repairs. An improperly functioning escalator may have broken or missing steps, loose or broken handrails, defective or missing teeth, or defective or improperly installed parts. Escalator accidents may involve slip and falls, falling off the side of the escalator, or getting clothing or body parts caught in escalator parts (a common cause of escalator injuries to children).

Who Is Liable for Elevator and Escalator Accidents?

Who is responsible for Omaha elevator or escalator accident injuries will depend on the particular circumstances of the case. Potentially liable parties may include:

  • Owner of the building where the injuries occurred
  • Elevator maintenance company hired to inspect and repair the elevator
  • Company that installed the elevator or escalator
  • Elevator or escalator designers or manufacturers

How Common Are Elevator and Escalator Accidents?

Every year in the U.S., incidents involving elevators and escalators injure approximately 17,000 people and kill approximately 30, as reported by The Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR). Of these incidents, elevators account for 90% of the fatalities and 60% of the serious injuries. Nearly half the annual deaths are from injuries to people working on or near elevators.

How Can an Omaha Premises Liability Lawyer Help?

If you have been seriously injured in an Omaha elevator or escalator accident, your best chance of recovering the compensation you deserve is to have an experienced Omaha premises liability attorney handle your case. Our legal team at Bottlinger Law L.L.C. can conduct a thorough investigation of your accident to determine how it occurred and who is liable. We can secure evidence to support your claim, assess the full extent of your losses, deal with insurance companies on your behalf, and fight for full and fair compensation in the courtroom, if necessary.

Call us at (402) 505-8234 to schedule a free consultation.

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