Elevator Accidents

September 8, 2022

Recovery After an Elevator Accident

Who isn’t afraid of elevators? Who has ever gotten stuck in an elevator and thought of being trapped or worse yet an elevator going into a free fall? Although elevator accidents may seem like a rare occurrence, they are fairly common. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports an average of 10,200 elevator accidents involving injuries each year, with approximately 30 cases being fatal accidents.

Elevators, while a great convenience, can be lethal. These machines can lose power, get stuck between floors, lose traction, and even go into a free fall or abruptly stop for no reason at all. Each of these hazards can produce significant injuries such as disc injury, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, amputated limbs, and death. After an accident, not only may you be traumatized to ever step into an elevator again, but it can also change the entire course of the rest of your life depending on the severity of the injury sustained.

July 17, 2019

Successfully Pursuing an Elevator Injury Claim in Louisiana

by Cardone Law Firm

When you’re hurt in an elevator accident, there may be multiple people or entities who are potentially to blame and who may owe you compensation. This is one of the many reasons why skilled Louisiana premises liability counsel can help you with your case. For example, an elevator may be located in a building that is owned by one entity and leased by another. There may be still a third separate entity whom the owner or tenant retained to provide maintenance and upkeep on the building’s elevators. If an elevator fails and causes an injury, one, two, or perhaps all of these types of entities could be appropriately sued by you, in addition to your naming their insurers in the lawsuit too.

A recent case from Baton Rouge offered a real-life example of how this type of case can unfold, and what it takes to achieve a successful result. Patricia was at a medical center and riding an elevator when her accident happened. According to Patricia’s lawsuit, the elevator car opened, and, as she exited, the car dropped suddenly and then abruptly went up. This process allegedly threw Patricia into a wall and caused her to suffer significant injuries.

July 13, 2019

How to Pursue Your Elevator Injury Case in Louisiana

by Cardone Law Firm

Each different type of injury case brings with it different facts and different nuances of the law. Generally, an injury case requires you, as the injured person, to prove that the defendant’s misconduct was the legal cause of your injury. Certain types of injury cases that involve claims of negligence may allow you to establish causation using an argument that goes by the Latin words “res ipsa loquitur.” While almost any layperson has never heard of this Latin phrase, it is a very familiar one to any skilled injury attorney. This is just one more example of how your case can derive vital benefits when you retain the services of knowledgeable Louisiana premises liability counsel.

This “res ipsa loquitur” doctrine within the law can come up in certain elevator accident cases. Recently, the state courts in New Jersey found themselves faced with the case of Maureen, a resident of a condominium complex in Hackensack. While she was either entering or exiting the elevator in her building, the doors allegedly closed prematurely and knocked her to the ground, injuring her.

July 13, 2019

Woman Sues for High-Rise Hotel Elevator Injuries

by Cardone Law Firm

In an elevator accident/injury situation, the person who has been injured may have a valid claim for compensation. In order to succeed in that claim, though, the injured passenger will need to prove numerous different elements. Establishing that may necessitate bringing together significant and varied types of evidence. It definitely requires an in-depth understanding of the law. That’s why, if you are pursuing an injury case, your case needs skilled Louisiana premises liability counsel.

The Louisiana Record recently reported on one elevator incident that triggered litigation. The incident involved a woman named Tywanda, who was visiting the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in August 2017. According to the woman’s lawsuit, she was in the hotel elevator, on the 45th floor, when the elevator dropped suddenly and unexpectedly. This sudden drop allegedly caused Tywanda to suffer both physical and emotional injuries.

July 5, 2019

A Serious Elevator Accident in a Neighboring State is a Reminder of How Harmful Louisiana Elevator Accidents Can Be

by Cardone Law Firm

According to statistics compiled a few years ago, elevator and escalator accidents seriously injure about 17,000 each year, killing roughly 30.

A recent headline was a reminder of that, as a nurse nearly died as a result of a malfunctioning elevator. The accident, reported by NBC DFW, occurred outside Louisiana, but it just as easily could have happened here. The nurse entered an elevator one day at work on the tenth floor of her hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. The elevator continued moving after it should have stopped. The nurse’s foot became trapped and, ultimately, the elevator crushed the nurse. The nurse managed to survive but spent a month in a coma. The elevator accident inflicted massive internal injuries and also left the nurse with brain damage. According to the NBC DFW report, the nurse “is expected to have a long-term recovery from injuries that are expected to impact her throughout her life.”

June 25, 2019

I Was Aboard an Elevator that Crashed Down Many Floors. What Legal Options Do I Have in Louisiana?

by Cardone Law Firm

Elevator accidents can cause a lot of different injuries. Not all of them are physical, but any of them (physical or mental) can potentially be compensable with the right evidence.

Given the number of web pages dedicated to interpreting them, dreams about being inside a falling elevator are not uncommon. For most people, such a dream would certainly fall inside the definition of a “nightmare.” For an unfortunate few, however, these nightmarish events are no dream; they are all too real. When they happen, they have the potential to inflict a variety of injuries. Even if you suffer no physical damage, you may still be left with severe and lasting emotional scars from your elevator accident. If that happens to you, be sure to contact a knowledgeable Louisiana injury attorney about your accident.

October 3, 2018

I Was Injured in an Elevator. Can I Recover in Louisiana?

by Cardone Law Firm

Photo Credit: CHALITSA HONGTONG / Shutterstock.com

When you think about an elevator accident, the first images that leap to mind may be of an elevator stuck between floors or an elevator car that suddenly plummets several floors. While these types of scenarios can, and do, cause serious injuries, they are not the only kind of elevator incidents that can lead to injuries for which you may be entitled to compensation. If you’ve been hurt in an elevator accident, even if there was no malfunction of the elevator car’s movement at all, you should consult a knowledgeable Louisiana injury attorney about your options.

A very recent lawsuit filing from out of state, reported upon by the Penn Record, is an example of this type of accident. A.T. was a hospital worker whose duties included, among other things, moving a food cart from place to place. One day, as A.T. was trying to move the cart into or out of the elevator, the cart allegedly got stuck in the gap between the elevator car and the basement floor. When cart got stuck, the unexpected and sudden stoppage caused the worker to suffer substantial injuries, including physical pain and suffering, as well as mental anguish, according to A.T.

August 22, 2018

How to Obtain Compensation for Your Elevator Accident in Louisiana

by Cardone Law Firm

Photo Credit: maxbelchenko / Shutterstock.com

While you may not necessarily realize it, any elevator accident has the potential to be massively harmful. A fall of just a few floors can be extremely dangerous and damaging, especially if your accident involves an elevator stopped by an impact with the ground. The sudden stop can exert a profound jolt on your body. This can cause serious damage to feet, ankles, legs, knees, hips and your back. These injuries can include both broken bones and soft tissue damage. Regardless of how far you fell, you should take timely action to protect your rights and your ability to recover compensation for the harm you suffered. Reach out to put an experienced New Orleans injury attorney on your side.

One recent elevator accident case originated in the state’s capital. G.T. worked for the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals at the Bienville Building in downtown Baton Rouge. One day in early 2011, G.T. left his eighth-floor office at the end of the work day and took the elevator down, as usual. The trip was far from typical, however. As the elevator reached the third floor, it fell suddenly, plummeting all the way to the ground floor. The powerful impact caused G.T. to suffer serious injuries to his spine, hip and both knees. The injury forced the worker to undergo a bilateral knee arthroscopy. He also eventually needed multiple lumbar fusion surgeries to address his spinal injuries.

If you are injured in an elevator accident, you may be entitled to compensation for the harm you suffered. The correct avenue for seeking that compensation may vary based upon the facts of your case. In G.T.’s situation, because the elevator accident that injured him occurred in the office building in which he worked, he was able to pursue, and obtain, compensation in the form of workers’ compensation benefits.

June 21, 2018

The Different Forms of Compensation to Which You May Be Entitled in Your Louisiana Elevator Accident Case

by Cardone Law Firm

A recent report of an elevator accident and the lawsuit it triggered is a reminder that elevator accidents can be seriously harmful events for those involved, and they can lead to a wide array of harms suffered by that person (or people). When those injuries are results of an improperly maintained elevator (or some other form of negligence by the owner), those injured may have a case for compensation. If you’ve been hurt in an elevator accident, be sure to contact a skilled New Orleans elevator accident attorney right away to discuss your options.

The recent report, published in the Louisiana Record, detailed the elevator accident of a woman named Nekita. Nekita was riding in a parking facility elevator in Downtown New Orleans when the elevator allegedly malfunctioned. According to the woman’s lawsuit, the elevator car began to shake and to move up and down in an abnormal fashion. During the entire period of malfunctioning, Nekita was trapped in the elevator car and unable to leave, according to her lawsuit.

December 6, 2017

Elevator Breakdown Leads to Man’s Tragic Death in New Orleans East Office Building

by Cardone Law Firm

WDSU TV reported this summer on the untimely death of an office worker in New Orleans. The man died after the elevator carrying him stalled between floors, and, after a long delay, he attempted unsuccessfully to jump down to the next floor below. The tragic ending is a reminder that elevator accidents can potentially have dire consequences. When an elevator accident causes you to suffer harm, you need to act swiftly and retain a skilled Louisiana elevator accident attorney to get to work for you.

The WDSU report indicated that, according to employees who worked there, the elevators at the Executive Plaza had issues frequently. One worker stated that the “elevators go out every day. The fire alarm goes off and the air condition(ing) goes out and people are always getting stuck.”