ELEVATOR ACCIDENTS in New York City| NYC | Attorney

In New York City tens of thousands of buildings utilize elevators for their tenants. Among these are 340 public housing complexes, mostly composed of multiple buildings, each of which usually has an elevator. The New York City Housing Authority, the City’s largest landlord, incorporates 3,338 elevators in 2,618 buildings! That’s an average of 3.1 million “trips” per day totaling 1.2 BILLION “trips” per year.

Since 2001 (until March, 2009) Housing Authority residents, according to Housing Authority records visitors and employees have reported about 300 elevator related injuries.

Of these, over 170 required some medical attention by hospitals, paramedics or private doctors. Injuries involved virtually all parts of the body and included the tragic death of a five year old boy. The reported malfunctions related to inner and outer doors which either shut too quickly or too forcefully. Some people have lost fingers or toes. Another issue is the elevator car not aligning properly with the building floor. Serious fractures, broken bones, and other injuries can occur from this error. In more rare cases an elevator will drop suddenly and free fall to the ground. The injuries and trauma involved in that type of incident is unimaginable.

It doesn’t matter if you live in pulic or private housing you could have a valid lawsuit if you have been injured.

It is of the utmost importance to correctly identify whether the building where the accident occurred is public or private. For a publically owned building, it is MANDATORY that a NOTICE OF CLAIM be properly filed within the required period. This is usually 90 days of the date of accident but can vary. Failure to file the notice of claim could prevent a lawsuit against the governmental agency that owns the building. If you have been injured by a faulty elevator in New York City you need an experienced personal injury lawyer. At The Orlow Firm we are familiar with suits involving governmental agencies. You should call us as soon as possible to prevent losing your rights for justice. If you can not make the call for whatever reason have a friend or relative do so on your  behalf. We will come to you if needed.