I Was Injured On An Elevator At A Home

Suffering an injury is always a trying time. You worry about the long-term impact the injuries could have on your life and even the cost of medical care. But there is an added level of concern related to the matter when you suffer an injury in someone’s home. It is more common than you might expect for a potential client to reach out to the office staff at Kenmore Law Group to ask about the legal implications and ramifications of being injured on an elevator at a home.

While this might sound like a rare incident, it is vital to understand that California has more home elevators than any other state in the country. The large homes and estates in places like Hollywood, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Bel Air, and other wealthy communities often have one or more elevators that are installed for use by the staff, guests, and residents of the property. And, sadly, just like the units in high-rise condos and apartments in San Diego, Los Angeles, and other large cities, home elevators require a great deal of care and maintenance to remain safe.

If you or a loved one recently suffered an injury on an elevator in a home, please know that the staff at Kenmore Law Group has decades of expertise in handling these matters. We also understand that you could be facing many emotional challenges if the incident occurred at the home of a friend or during a charitable event. Please know that all you need to do is pick up the phone and call the compassionate office staff who is ready to take your call 24 hours a day. You will never be forced to deal with an answering service or leave a message and wait for a Kenmore Law Group staff member to return your call.

Immediately, you will begin to feel relief and confidence as you hear more about the expert legal staff at Kenmore Law Group, how we have helped others who have suffered a similar injury on an elevator in a home, and how one of our personal injury lawyers can meet with you very quickly to provide more personalized information. Soon, you will have your free consultation booked and know that Kenmore Law Group will work diligently to help you resolve this matter swiftly and to your satisfaction.

During your free consultation, you will explain the details and timeline of the home elevator injury and answer any other questions your Kenmore Law Group lawyer feels are critical. After gathering all the facts, your personal injury lawyer will explain the legal merit of the case and whether you have grounds for a lawsuit. If that is the case, they will also detail how these cases proceed and what you will need to do to move forward in pursuing legal action.

However, you need to understand that you will never be obligated to file a lawsuit related to your home elevator injuries, nor will you be required to hire Kenmore Law Group, even if you choose to take legal action. Our only motivation in providing this valuable information to you for free is to ensure you have the resources and information to make choices that will best meet your immediate and long-term needs. Please get in touch with our staff today to ensure you also understand the time limits that apply to cases similar to yours.

Hazards That Often Result In Home Elevator Injuries
When you think about an elevator in a large office building or one in an apartment building, you envision something that is very complex and has an entire room full of components and technology to ensure the unit functions safely. But most people think that a home elevator is sure to be much less complicated. The truth is that while these units are smaller, they are equally as complex and often use very similar computerization to ensure the safety of passengers. Without routine inspections, calibration, and service, even a small home elevator can become very dangerous. Nothing but regular care and maintenance will ensure these common safety hazards do not risk the safety of those using the home elevator:

• Sudden lurches and jerking motions of the elevator car in the shaft caused passengers to fall
• The elevator doors fail to open or close completely
• The elevator doors open slowly or suddenly slam closed
• The elevator stops at the wrong location, and the doors open when the elevator car is between floors
• The elevator cable breaks and allows the elevator car to drop suddenly
• The lights in the elevator fail, resulting in passengers falling in the dark surroundings

Common Injuries Suffered In A Home Elevator
While you would hope that a malfunction of a home elevator would only result in minor cuts or bruises, that is rarely the case. Often, passengers of home elevators are using the unit because they have health challenges that prevent their full mobility. They cannot climb steps and rely on the elevator to get them from one floor to another. However, when the unit is not working correctly, these passengers are far more susceptible to harm than the average person without health issues.

Regardless of your health or age, it is very possible to suffer serious harm when you are involved in an incident while on a home elevator. Victims of these scary incidents often suffer one or more of these severe injuries:

• Broken or shattered bones
• Compound fractures
• Joint dislocations that are often complicated by the destruction of the soft connective tissue of the joints
• Severe lacerations and puncture wounds that can involve damage to internal organs and internal bleeding
• Neck, back, and spinal cord damage
• Soft tissue injuries that can include the destruction of nerve tissue
• Partial or complete amputation of digits or limbs caught in the doors
• Injuries to the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or delicate skin on the face
• Head injuries that range from a skull fracture or severe concussion to a brain bleed or other traumatic brain injuries

Who Is To Blame For Home Elevator Injuries?
Premises liability law dictates the level of care and maintenance that all public and private property owners must provide to ensure the safety of the general public. If the owner is not present, their staff must meet the obligations of premises liability and duty of care, which define the level of action that must be taken when a safety hazard is discovered or reported to the staff by a guest. In the case of a home elevator, the care required would include following the manufacturer’s recommended inspection and service schedule.

If the owner or their staff fail to meet these obligations, they can be found negligent in their duty of care. In addition, if that negligence caused or contributed to the harm of a patron, the property owner can be held liable for the losses and expenses of the injury victim. If you want to determine if the homeowner or their house management staff failed to meet their obligation under duty of care, please reach out to the team at Kenmore Law Group to discuss the incident.

In addition, please also understand that there can be other parties who could share the liability. As mentioned, some large homes have a staff or are managed by a company that handles all the maintenance and care of the property. That company could be to blame for your injuries if it failed to schedule routine elevator inspections or service. Likewise, the elevator maintenance company could share in the liability if they were unable to perform a complete inspection or if they failed to properly repair an issue. Please reach out to the team at Kenmore Law Group to explore these opportunities further.

How Much Is My Home Elevator Injury Lawsuit Worth?
Many people reach out to Kenmore Law Group and tell us they were injured on an elevator in a home and want to understand the possible value of a lawsuit. They assume that there are predetermined compensation amounts for certain injuries or that the average of such lawsuits will be about what they could receive. In these cases, we find that many people simply have a misconception about how the compensation for a personal injury lawsuit is determined.

In these cases, the victim will work with their legal team at Kenmore Law Group to compile all of the documentation to confirm their losses and expenses caused by the injury incident. These items are then tabulated, and the amount of compensation they can be awarded by the court is based on the actual amount they incurred or lost because of the injuries. Items that are most commonly used in the process include, but are not always limited to:

• The replacement cost of any personal property that was damaged or destroyed in the home elevator injury incident
• The cost of all legal services required to prepare, file, and litigate the home elevator injury lawsuit
• The cost of all current and any projected future medical expenses related to the care of the injuries suffered in the home elevator incident, as well as prescribed medication, essential medical devices, and any therapy or counseling to address the trauma and stress of the incident and injuries
• Your lost income if the harm you sustained in the home elevator incident prevented you from working at your regular job until you were fully healed and cleared by your medical care providers to return to the tasks required for that employment

How Long Do I Have To Pursue Legal Action?
The time limit to file a lawsuit with the court is called the Statute of Limitations. The time limit will vary based on the legal matter. However, the time limit begins on the date of the incident in question and is strictly enforced. In the case of a personal injury like your home elevator injuries, you have two years to have your case prepared and filed with the court. It is also vital that you understand that there are minimal exceptions that would grant you more time to take legal action after the original time limit has expired. Please reach out to Kenmore Law Group today to discuss your case and the time needed to prepare and file your lawsuit.

Why Choose Kenmore Law Group For Your Home Elevator Injury Lawsuit?
When you suffer an injury, you are likely very concerned about the cost of medical bills and other expenses that quickly add up. The team at Kenmore Law Group understands that many injury victims never get the legal services they need to secure the compensation owed to them because they fear they cannot afford to hire a lawyer. However, when you choose to hire Kenmore Law Group, we handle any case with legal merit and never ask for any upfront payments. We only get paid for our time and the cost of preparing the case after the matter has been resolved. At that time, you will have the compensation that includes funds to cover your legal fees and other expenses with no added hardships or stress.

Finally, if your Kenmore Law Group personal injury lawyer fails to win your home elevator injury lawsuit and get you that much-needed compensation, you owe the firm nothing. Please get in touch with the caring and dedicated staff at Kenmore Law Group today to learn more about how our expert legal team can help you resolve this matter quickly and with no added stress or expenses on your household budget.