Georgia Company Sued Over Moving Walkway Injuries
A Wisconsin retail chain recently filed a lawsuit against an elevator company over allegations that the latter produced and maintained defective moving walkways that caused several accidents that led to personal injuries. According to the lawsuit, at least four customers at Menards Stores in Indiana filed escalator personal injury lawsuits against the company when shopping carts became trapped in the walkways and knocked down customers.
Menards, a Midwestern home improvement store chain, installed the rolling walkways to act as escalators to help move customers and their carts between levels of multistory superstore locations. These carts are equipped with special wheels that are supposed to lock into the walkway and then release once at the top of the escalator. Unfortunately, for some customers malfunctions in these designs resulted in serious injuries.
Local media reports indicate Menards has already settled two of the escalator lawsuits with plaintiffs and is currently litigating the other two. In its action against Georgia company, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corp., Menards seeks reimbursement for the personal injury settlements it has already paid as well as costs of defending future litigation and making repairs to the defectively designed and manufactured escalators.
Defective Escalator Accident Lawsuits
When stores are open to the public, visitors expect to enter a safe and secure environment where they can shop and conduct business. That expectation of safety also extends to elevators and escalators needed to get from one floor to another. However, businesses do not always live up to their legal duty to maintain their escalators, elevators, and moving walkways, and patrons can suffer serious, sometimes life-changing injuries as a result.
Causes of escalator accidents include the manufacturer’s own negligence in producing a defective and dangerous machine, which the company knew or should have known could result in harm to users. Escalator accidents can also occur because the business where the machine is located does not notice or make repairs to malfunctions in a timely manner, leaving a known hazard for visitors to encounter.
Accidents can occur on escalators when clothing or limbs become trapped in the sides of the machines or if the escalator shuts off suddenly. Falls, lacerations, and fractures are just some of the potentially serious injuries that can occur from an accident and can forever change the lives of innocent victims through no fault of their own.
What to do after an escalator accident?
When accidents occur due to the negligence of the escalator manufacturer or business, victims have legal rights to recover compensation for hospital bills, medical expenses, lost wages, and the pain and suffering of experiencing the injury. Please contact the experienced legal team at Cash Krugler Fredericks to learn more about your rights and next steps.
