You might ride an escalator every day in your office building. You certainly ride one when you’re going in and out of subway stations throughout the city. Escalators are extremely convenient, but they can also be extremely dangerous.
However, most New York residents never think about the dangers associated with escalators, and this is a serious risk. Every time you step onto one of these moving staircases, you should use extreme caution. Place at least one hand on the railing, and be alert. Escalators do not always function as you’d expect, and accidents can happen for reasons such as:
- The escalator speeds up
- The escalator runs in reverse
- A passenger falls off the escalator
- A passenger knocks another person over
People have died because they were not paying attention when using escalators. Some have died even when they were paying attention because the escalator malfunctioned or was faulty.
Signs of negligence in escalator accidents
Accident victims and their families may have a personal injury or wrongful death claim against multiple parties after an escalator accident. It is important to seek legal counsel before evidence of the accident disappears.
Issues to note in these situations include:
- Did the property owner in charge of maintaining the escalator fulfill its duty to keep the machine in proper working order?
- Did the property owner warn of potential dangers with the escalator?
- Did the designers of the escalator take reasonable precautions to design the device in a way that would prevent the threat of death in case someone fell?
People hurt by escalators, and family members of those who are killed, should seek answers to these questions to determine whether they may have a premises liability claim to pursue financial damages in court.