A Guide for Elevator Accident Victims
Elevator accidents are not as deadly as construction site accidents but these may lead to casualties and immeasurable pain and suffering due to severe injuries.
According to recent studies conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), sufferers reached to 11,000 injuries and 30 casualties every year.
Just last March 2008, an elderly woman in LA, experienced a slip and fall incident at the outdoor Century City Mall during one rainy day. The woman suffered a foot injury, leading her to file a personal injury claim against the mall owners.
To be just like the woman mentioned above, you have to consider the information below. These will guide you on the proper steps that you should take in order to make the responsible parties be held accountable for their negligence or misconduct.
Five Basic Steps in Making an Elevator Accident Claim a Success
1. Be familiar with the basic elements of your case before consulting a lawyer
Specifically answer these three questions in order to make an easier consultation with the lawyer.
• Have you been engaged in an elevator accident?
• Did you suffer any injury or damage?
• Is the injury resulted from the elevator accident?
Answering all this basic questions would qualify you to make a personal injury claim.
2. Familiarize yourself with Personal Injury Law
Personal injury claims, whether intentional or unintentional, are under the law of torts.
Any person, who has been injured physically or mentally because of the negligence or imprudence of another person, company, government agency or other entities, has the right to recover compensation or damages for the resulting injuries.
3. Be acquainted with the cause of the elevator accident
Usually, elevator accidents are products of mechanical malfunctions and inadequate maintenance.
The following are the most common cause of elevator accident
• Breaking down of the pulley that makes the elevator reach its lowest and highest speed
• The elevator has failed to stop on the floor level
• Elevator entrapment due to engine failure, power interruption or emergencies such as earthquake and building fires
• Falling from elevator shaft in an construction sites
Knowing the main cause of injury will help you pinpoint the possible persons accountable to shoulder all the blame.
4. Bring into the light the building codes policy in aiming liability to the owner.
The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety, developed the International Building Code (IBC) as a guideline for the construction of commercial buildings. It can help you recover losses from the injuries you suffered.
IBC will be your basis in verifying the negligence of the premise owner to put up necessary measures to maintain the safety of the elevator for users such as you.
On the other hand, if the injury is due to product defect, the product manager can be held answerable for the damages.
5. Do not forget to ask guidance from an expert lawyer
The best guide for all the elevator victims to avail the largest compensation for the damages is to find an elevator accident lawyer who can give you the remedies under the law can provide.
Our Los Angeles personal injury lawyers have the expertise in resolving cases resulting from elevator accident injury. For immediate legal advice and assistance, log on to our website and fill out our case evaluation form.
About the Author
Before becoming a writer, Janice spent her time reading a lot of educational books. From this hobby, she soon discovered her passion for writing and took up Journalism. She became a paralegal writer, and worked as an editor/columnist to a magazine specializing on government and business affairs. Later on, she evolves herself into a legal writer of a famous Los Angeles based law firm.
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