Elevator Accident in San Antonio

In an infamous incident at San Antonio’s Crockett Hotel, a 65-year-old housekeeper was killed when she fell down the hotel’s elevator shaft. Management stated that the elevator “had been having problems,” with multiple prior instances in which employees were stuck for hours. Because of this malfunctioning elevator, a San Antonio family was left without their wife, mother, and grandmother.

It is exactly to prevent these potential tragedies that institutions such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation exist. This state department exists to ensure all elevators operating in the state of Texas are licensed and regularly maintained. If a business fails to upkeep their elevators, they could cause severe injury to their employees, visitors, or guests.

Elevator accidents are incredibly dangerous and more common than you would think; in fact, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Consumer Product Safety Commission estimate that approximately 17,000 people are injured by elevators in the U.S. every year.

How do these injuries commonly occur? The majority of elevator injuries are sustained by maintenance workers while repairing, maintaining, or installing an elevator. Working inside an elevator shaft exposes workers to a high risk environment; without proper safety standards, these workers are in danger of getting caught in between the shaft and car or being crushed by a falling car.

Elevator injuries are also caused by riding in faulty elevators. A significant proportion of annual elevator accident injuries are sustained by passengers in elevator cars. Sudden stops can cause slip-and-fall injuries resulting in broken bones or head trauma. In another common example of elevator injuries, occasionally elevator doors open before the elevator car arrives, leading to victims falling into the empty shaft.

Whatever the cause of the elevator injury, in most cases, the owner of the property can be held liable for failing to maintain their premises. This is why victims of elevator accidents file premises liability lawsuits (rather than a general personal injury lawsuit). When looking for representation for your claim, consider San Antonio premises liability attorneys with specialty practice areas in or previous experience representing elevator injury claims.

If you have suffered an elevator accident, you may have sustained a number of injuries ranging in severity and duration. When you file a premises liability lawsuit against a property owner for failure to maintain their elevator, you must work with your San Antonio premises liability lawyer to estimate the full extent of your injuries to claim as damages.

Common injuries sustained in elevator accidents include:

• Broken or fractured bones
• Head and spinal trauma
• Whiplash
• Blunt trauma
• Paralysis
• Loss of consciousness
• Fatality

This list of injuries cover a wide range of severity: the person whose ankle is twisted during a sudden stop is likely to receive less in compensation than those struck by a falling car. Unfortunately, the most severe elevator accidents are likely to result in long-term disability or fatality. If you have lost a loved one in an elevator accident, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit to seek justice.

With the help of one of the experienced elevator injury lawyers at Carabin Shaw, filing your elevator injury claim has never been easier. With our attorneys’ thirty years of experience representing San Antonio premises liability claims, you can rest assured that your right to fair compensation is protected. Many of our previous clients have attested to our injury lawyers’ dedication and professionalism on Carabin Shaw’s client reviews page.

The firm of Carabin Shaw offers no-cost, no-obligation case reviews to victims of elevator accidents in San Antonio. To schedule yours, call our 24/7 English and Spanish-speaking staff toll-free today at 800-862-1260.