Catastrophic Injury from Moving Walkways Brings Machinery Into Question
In late June, one airline passenger suffered a terrible, catastrophic injury after an accident on a moving airport walkway. According to reports, she was using the walkway as intended when part of it collapsed and pulled her leg into it, resulting in her leg being amputated at the knee.
According to statistics, more than 100 billion passengers ride escalators and moving walkways in the U.S. every year, yet the safety information gathered on walkways in particular is scant, and that which has been published for escalators is beyond surprising: There are reportedly more than 10,000 injuries per year on escalators requiring emergency room attention and at least two deaths. Moving at approximately 100 feet per minute, or 1 mph, this is likely surprising to many consumers who use these regularly in their everyday lives.
Injuries & Lawsuits
For some, the issue can become a slip and fall, especially if the walkway or escalator suddenly stops and causes them to fall forward as a result, and for those who are injured by this machinery, it can inflict severe injuries to legs, feet, shoulders, arms, and more, including dislocations, fractures, amputations, and worse. This not only includes consumers of businesses, but also employees who work on these premises and are injured as well.
Although escalators and moving walkways are not limited to airports, in lawsuits brought against airports for related incidents and injuries, victims have sued both the city and the manufacturing company of the machinery alleging negligence. When injured victims are in the care of whomever is responsible for the premises where they are injured, and the accident is caused by the negligence of that responsible party, acts of negligence can include but are not limited to the following:
- A duty by the defendant to maintain the premises open to the public in a safe fashion; where
- Defendant breached this duty to defendant;
- The breach of the duty proximately caused the incident; and
- Defendant failed to take evasive action, warn, and/or keep a proper lookout.
If You’ve Been Hurt, Contact Our Macon, Georgia Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to machinery that is supposed to be safe for your use, we can help. You may be entitled to medical expenses and extensive pain and suffering, as well as lost wages. Our Macon personal injury attorneys assist victims of all forms of injuries, including those linked to premises liability, product liability, slip and fall, and wrongful death. Contact the Law Offices of Buzzell, Welsh & Hill today for a free consultation to find out more. We are here to help.
Source:
nytimes.com/2023/07/01/world/asia/thai-airport-moving-walkway-accident.html
