Elevator Accidents and Wrongful Death

While elevator accidents and injuries are relatively rare occurrences, they do happen. Unfortunately, elevator accidents can even lead to death for some passengers. If you have a loved one who died as a result of an elevator accident, the elevator manufacturing company, a maintenance team, or the owner of the building that the elevator is in may be responsible for your loved one’s death. In one of these cases, wrongful death would have occurred and your family may be entitled to compensation to help move on from this experience. You can learn more about elevator accidents and wrongful death on this page.

Common Incidents That Could Lead to Death

There are many incidents in which an elevator can malfunction and a person can be injured or even killed. Here are some of the most common issues that an elevator and its passengers might face:

• A design flaw in the elevator could lead to a malfunction.
• Misleveling when an elevator stops on a different floor.
• An installation or manufacturer defect.
• Maintenance error.
• Failing to repair a damaged elevator and failure to warn passengers not to use the elevator.
• A door malfunction that crushes a passenger.
• Speed malfunctions resulting in significant drops or failure to stop.

Again, while elevators are usually safe and ridden without incident, the above issues could occur and result in serious injury or death.

Who is At Fault?

If you think that your loved one was the victim of wrongful death, you must prove that someone else was responsible for the accident and the subsequent injuries sustained. There are a few options when it comes to who might be liable for the accident.

If the elevator was manufactured improperly, and an accident occurred because of this issue, the manufacturer could be held liable for the accident and wrongful death. On the other hand, if a maintenance crew was called in to fix an issue with the elevator, and they did not fix the issue properly, the maintenance crew or maintenance company could be held responsible for an accident and subsequent wrongful death. Finally, consider that the owner of the building that the elevator is in could be responsible. This might be the case if the owner does not keep up with the maintenance of the elevator or warn passengers that the elevator is under construction and should not be used.

You can investigate the situation that your loved one was in with the help of a lawyer to determine what happened and who is responsible for the accident.

What to Do If You Suspect Wrongful Death

If you think that one of the above parties mentioned is responsible for the death of a loved one, you should contact a lawyer to review the situation. A lawyer can help you determine how to proceed and how to recover compensation, if possible. With the help of an elevator accident injury lawyer, you can file a personal injury claim and seek justice on behalf of your loved one. For more information, reach out to our office today. We are here to help.