Many Florida residents have probably experienced a fall or two during their lives. Some of these falls may have been the result of tripping over a cord or on an uneven sidewalk square. Other falls are often the result of being thrown off balance for any one of a variety of reasons.
Riders of an escalator at a New Jersey rail station experienced a fall earlier this week. The escalator was ascending out of the rail station when it suddenly began descending instead. Some passengers on the escalator jumped onto the adjacent escalator. Others were likely just panicked as the escalator which was supposed to be going up took them backwards toward the bottom of the escalator.
Five people incurred injuries as a result of the accident, though none of the injuries were life-threatening. The Wall Street Journal reports that the passengers suffered injuries including scrapes, bruises and back pain.
The exact reason for the escalator malfunction is not known, but authorities suspect this fall’s Hurricane Sandy could have damaged the escalator. This type of accident could result in premises liability claims.
Any Florida residents who have experienced a similar type of mishap while riding an elevator or escalator may want to look into filing a premises liability suit against the owner or management of the building the elevator or escalator is in.
A building’s owners are responsible for maintaining a safe property. This is especially important in places where many people are riding escalators, like in shopping malls, train stations, and airports.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, “5 injured in escalator accident at NJ rail station,” Jan. 7, 2013
