$Atlanta Elevators and Escalators can be very dangerous, causing serious injuries, such as amputations, severe lacerations and fractures, if they lack appropriate warnings and are otherwise improperly maintained.$

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Injured on an Elevator or Escalator in Georgia? Call the Atlanta Escalator and Elevator injury lawyer, Jason R. Schultz PC now to find out whether you can be compensated for your injuries, medical expenses and lost wages.

What dangers do elevator or escalators pose?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that each year over 17,000 people are injured in this country on elevators and escalators and that there are on average at least 30 deaths. Unfortunately, the CPSC also reports that most escalator injuries happen to children.

The injuries we see range from abrasions and bruises to serious injuries such as degloving and amputations of fingers, toes and even entire hands and feet. The most common types of injuries are from entrapment injuries and falls. The most common injuries are from entrapments between the front and rear of adjacent escalator steps, between the side of escalator steps and the escalator skirt (the interior sidewall of the escalator) and injuries occurring at the combplate (the piece with the menacing looking teeth on the floor at the top and bottom of escalators).

How can the elevator and escalator industry protect people from injury?

Manufacturers, maintenance providers and owners of escalators and elevators can take steps designed to prevent most of the common injuries.

First, injuries can be prevented through the consistent use of proper warnings. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Escalator Committee established a standard for escalators. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) communicated that standard to the public in the mid 1990's, and the ASME/ANSI standard states that each escalator step should have "painted foot prints" or "brightly colored borders". Unfortunately, most still are not painted in accordance with these simple standards.

Secondly, most experts will readily admit that the purported "warning" signs provided on escalators are an inadequate and ineffective means of communicating the severity of potential entrapment injuries. As a result, folks are not made aware of the potential for serious and severe injuries on escalators. Many escalator "warning" signs are defective because they (1) use incorrect wording to properly communicate the danger of entrapment and the severity of injury if entrapment occurs, (2) use an incorrect pictogram to properly communicate the danger of entrapment between adjacent steps, and (3) use incorrect color to properly communicate the danger of entrapment and the severity of injury if entrapment occurs.
Rather than truly warning riders of the potential for serious injury, escalator signs typically carry a more benign "caution". In November 2000, Timothy P. Smith, Engineering Psychologist for the Human Factors Division of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), issued a "Human Factors Assessment" for a pending petition on escalator safety. The CPSC report states that "[a]ccording to ANSI Z535.4, Product Safety Signs and Labels (1991), the word "CAUTION" typically indicates a situation which "may result in minor to moderate injury," whereas "WARNING" indicates one which "could result in death or serious injury." The report notes that injuries from escalator entrapments include amputations, fractures, crushing injuries, lacerations and avulsions. As a result, the CPSC recommends that escalator warning signs be changed because "WARNING" is a more appropriate word than "CAUTION." Again, look at the next escalator you ride - chances are you will not find a warning. One reason may be because some escalator companies have actually opposed stronger warning signs because - heaven forbid - people should get the idea that these things are dangerous.

Additionally, some escalator steps are designed with a pattern of interlocking step treads on the leading edges. Specific interlocking designs vary among manufacturers, and some manufacturers have stopped producing some designs altogether because of allegations that certain patterns naturally create more hazardous pinch points than others. The ASME A17 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators requires that adjacent escalator steps be "in mesh" during operation, however most escalators violate this requirement and you will routinely see gaps between adjacent steps as well as gaps between escalator steps and the step skirt. Current codes allow the gaps along escalator step sides to be 3/16 of an inch on each side or 3/8 of an inch if the steps can be shifted from one side to the other, but many escalator are routinely operated with much larger gaps. In addition to correcting the problem with proper maintenance, escalators can also be retrofitted with safety plates that attach to the edges of steps and close dangerous gaps.

Most escalators are comprised of a series of individual steps that are not connected to each other, but rather are connected to large chains running along the sides of the escalator. Each step rides on roller-wheels and is pulled along by the chain, which is typically pulled around a large sprocket wheel in the bowels of the escalator. Naturally, such equipment requires regular and competent maintenance to both repair and prevent wear on the many moving parts. The large chains can stretch or elongate after years of continual use, the roller wheels (which are typically made of a rubber-neoprene like substance) harden, crack and fall apart over time and we have all seen escalator combplates which are jagged and missing teeth. Current codes require that the combplate teeth mesh with the grooves on the tops of escalator steps, and that combplates with broken teeth should be immediately replaced. However, many escalators are not maintained properly and consequently are operated with broken and out-of-alignment combplates and teeth.

Escalators and elevators that inadequately warn and/or are improperly maintained can cause serious injuries, and even fatalities, to unsuspecting users. Studies and statistics have shown time and again that many of the victims are children who are smaller and more susceptible to injury when their fingers and toes are the right size to slip into dangerous gaps in escalators. Most escalators move along swiftly, about 90 feet per minute, and continue running after they amputate a finger or toe, altering a child's life forever. These serious injuries are preventable if there are adequate warnings, properly designed escalators and competent technicians who regularly perform mainteance inspections and maintenance work.

Specific and detailed discovery is the recipe for developing the maintenance history on a given escalator as well as to reveal a history of previous injuries. Jason R. Schultz, PC cares about children and adults injured by hazardous escalators and elevators and will vigorously pursue all such cases to obtain full compensation for all medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and disfigurement.

What do I do if my child or I have been injured on an elevator or escalator?

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury on an elevator or escalator, you may be entitled to compensation. For a free legal consultation, contact us today!