As a construction worker, you understand that there are certain dangers that come with your job. One risk that you probably don’t expect, though, is being involved in an elevator accident because the elevator malfunctions and crashes. However, that is exactly what happened to several workers working on a condominium construction project in the Central Business District of New Orleans this summer. The accident injured five and is a reminder that, as with almost anything else, elevators fail sometimes, and, when they do, people can get hurt. When that happens, it pays to have skilled Louisiana elevator accident counsel on your side.
On a promotional web page, The Standard condominium in the Central Business District is billed as boasting “a visionary’s passion for thoughtful, future-facing design.” The property is scheduled to open in the spring of 2018. In the summer of 2017, though, that design was still under construction. WWL TV reported that, on July 28th, workers next door to the project heard what they described as the sound of an elevator’s emergency braking system giving way, and then they heard the sound of the elevator crashing down seven stories to the ground.
At the time of the accident, 11 people were inside the elevator. That number meant the elevator was well below capacity, Doug Castro, who worked for an OSHA training and safety education entity based in New Orleans, told WWL.
Five of the workers were taken by paramedics to hospitals with injuries. The injured workers suffered an array of back and foot injuries. One of the five incurred a fractured foot in the fall.
OSHA opened an investigation into the elevator accident. This would include inspecting the elevator car and its parts, including the parts that were supposed to power and brake the elevator. As harrowing and harmful as the incident certainly must have been, reports seem to indicate that it could have been even worse. A spring, located at the bottom of the elevator did not malfunction and kept the crash from going from damaging to tragic. The spring “has to have been what saved all 11 employees,” Castro told WWL.
Whether you are a construction worker riding in a construction elevator or an office worker riding in a standard elevator within an office building, you can potentially be at risk of serious injuries in the event that the elevator fails to perform properly. In order to put together a successful case, you’ll need proof that someone who had a legal duty to keep you safe in that elevator didn’t perform as the law requires. The law demands that manufacturers manufacture safe elevator cars and parts. The law also obliges a property owner (or the person or entity responsible for a property) to keep its elevators properly maintained, repaired, and inspected to ensure appropriate safety.
If you’ve been injured in an elevator accident, reach out to skilled injury counsel right away. The determined Louisiana premises liability attorneys at the Cardone Law Firm have spent many years working to help people in elevator accidents, as well as other types of personal injury cases, pursue the recovery they deserve.
For your confidential consultation, contact us online or phone Cardone at 504-522-3333.
More Blog Posts:
Recent Elevator Accidents and Injury Litigation in New Orleans, Louisiana Injury Lawyers Blog, Oct. 5, 2017
The Anatomy of a Trip and Fall Case, Louisiana Injury Lawyers Blog, Aug. 6, 2014