Common Reasons for Injuries: Clothing Entanglements

Loose clothing or other items that you are carrying on your person can get stuck in elevators or escalators and cause problems. If you sustained an injury because of a clothing entanglement, there are a few things that you should determine moving forward. First, you need to determine if your clothing got caught because there was an issue with the elevator or escalator. Alternatively, you should figure out if the loose clothing was your fault. Figuring out which situation you face will determine how you should move forward with your situation.

The Dangers of Loose Clothing

In both elevators and escalators, loose clothing can cause you to trip or get stuck. These issues can lead to falls or other problems, such as becoming trapped in the elevator or escalator. Common issues include:

• Getting a shoelace stuck.
• If you are wearing long pants, having the bottom of the pants get caught.
• Having a backpack, purse, or other bag stuck in the elevator or escalator.

Loose items or clothing might get stuck in an elevator door, the space between an elevator and the building floor, metal teeth on an escalator, or the gaps in the stairs of an escalator. As mentioned, getting stuck in an elevator or escalator could cause you to fall or get stuck in moving/closing parts.

When Someone Else is At Fault

Someone else might be at fault for an accident if your clothing is caught due to an elevator or escalator malfunction. For example, some elevators are misleveled or they have a gap between the elevator car and the building. If something gets stuck in this gap, those in charge of the elevator could be at fault. Similarly, if there are loose metal teeth on an escalator that attach to clothing, untied shoelaces, bags, etc. this means that the escalator has not been properly maintained.

It can be argued that these injuries and ones like them are the fault of those who are supposed to maintain an elevator or escalator. Even if you are found to be partially at fault, you can likely recover compensation in these kinds of situations.

When You Are At Fault

If an elevator or escalator is in good working condition, accidents can still occur. However, these accidents might be your fault, if you are not careful about your clothing and what you are carrying. If you trip over your own shoelaces or you aren’t paying attention to your bag and it gets caught, a court might find that you are at fault for your own injuries.

Determining Fault

It can be difficult to determine fault on your own. In order to get an accurate idea of who is at fault and what compensation you might be entitled to, contacting an attorney will be helpful. If you would like to discuss your situation with one of our attorneys, contact us today!