Hurt by Defective and Broken Stairs? Call HKD
When someone else’s negligence caused a serious stairway accident, you deserve the chance to pursue compensation for the resulting damages. At Hecht, Kleeger & Damashek, P.C., our NY premises liability attorneys know you probably have a lot of questions, and we have a record of getting accident victims everything they need and deserve, like this $2 million settlement for a staircase accident. Let our stairway accident lawyers investigate what happened, identify who is at fault for your stairway accident, and advise you what comes next.
Contact us, or call (212) 490-5700 to schedule a free, no-risk case evaluation. There are no up-front fees, and you owe nothing until we win compensation.
Where do Stairway Accidents Happen in New York?
While all ages can be victims of stairway accidents, senior citizens, young children, and women report the most injuries, according to the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. Young adults also had high injury rates from stair accidents.
Most accidents, some 60%, happened in the home, including rental properties like New York City multi-unit buildings with common stairwells. Other places where falling down stairs is more likely to occur are workplaces, entertainment and sports venues, and public transportation sites, such as subways.
Common Injuries From Falling Down The Stairs
Slips, trips, and falls on staircases can lead to various injuries. These usually depend on different factors, like your age, the height of the stairs, how you fell, and the surface of the stairs.
Some common injuries include:
- Broken bones
- Bruises
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Paralysis
- Nerve Damage
- Facial trauma
- Lacerations
- Concussions
Why Do Stair Accidents Cause These Injuries?
Falling down stairs can cause significant injuries. Although that conclusion seems like common sense, there’s more to understand about why accidents of this nature pose so much danger, especially to certain groups like the elderly, young children, and pregnant women.
Unexpected Loss of Support
When you lose your footing on the stairs, it’s very easy to lose your balance. You may be unable to control your fall, leading to significant injuries.
Height & Gravity
Because of the change in elevation, falling on stairs is different from falling on an even surface. Falling down the stairs means you could experience more speed and force than you would on a flat surface.
Multiple Impact Points
When you fall down the stairs, you can hit several parts of your body at once — if you’re rolling, you could hit different spots multiple times. These individual impacts can accumulate to cause a variety of injuries or make injuries worse.
Awkward Fall Positions
It’s possible to get hurt when you’re trying to avoid getting injured when falling down the stairs. Whether you’re trying to break your fall or twisting to avoid a direct impact, you face the risk of complex injuries or fractures.
What Causes Accidents on Broken Stairs in NYC?
Broken stairs or ones needing repaired can lead to accidents. Some causes for accidents on stairs include:
- Rotten supports
- Rickety rails
- Lack of rails
- Stairs that aren’t up to code
- Torn carpet
- Ice or other slippery substances
- Uneven surfaces
- Blocked stairways
- Defective parts
- Poor construction
Who’s at Fault for Defective and Broken Stair Accidents?
Accidents involving stairs may have several possible causes and various responsible parties. When you meet with our staircase accident attorneys to discuss your, or a loved one’s, stair accident they will determine who may be required to pay damages for your injuries.
Some possible legal arguments that may entitle you to compensation include:
Premises Liability for Unsafe and Dangerous Stairs
Under New York premises liability law, if you are injured on someone’s property, they might be responsible for damages that arise from your injuries. So, if you suffer a neck injury when you fall down the stairs at your apartment complex, the property owner could be liable. But, just being injured on another’s property doesn’t automatically make the owner liable.
Other possible liable parties for a premises accident include:
- Landlords
- Property managers
- Maintenance staff
- Government entities, in certain scenarios
To recover damages you must prove:
- You were lawfully on the property or when you were injured
- The property owner was negligent about the condition that caused your injury
- The property owner’s negligence was the proximate cause of your injury
When you work with our staircase accident attorneys, we will identify who is at fault and determine if your stair accident injuries resulted from broken, defective, or uneven stairs, or failure to properly install or maintain a handrail. From there, we will pursue a favorable resolution from the owner or property manager responsible. That could mean filing a personal injury claim against a landlord or venue owner if you were injured in settings like a club, bar, restaurant, sports complex, or concert hall.
Product Liability for Defective and Broken Stairs
Sometimes staircase falls are attributable to design or manufacturing defects in the products used to build and maintain the stairs. For example, an important safety feature of stairs is the handrail. If a handrail is poorly designed or placed, it could fail. If stair treads don’t have proper non-skid treatment, serious falls can happen.
When you’re hurt on the stairs because of a defective product, you can bring a case against the designer or manufacturer of the product.
In such cases, our defective product lawyers will investigate and identify those companies responsible. Not only will we work to have those parties compensate you for your injuries, but we’ll also fight to ensure the defective parts are fixed, potentially saving others from injury.
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