Improperly maintained hotel equipment can pose grave escalator and elevator accident risks to riders. Around 30 people are fatally wounded each year in the United States, with another 17,000 sustaining serious injuries. Elevators are responsible for about 90% of these deaths. Proper maintenance is required by hotel owners and helps keep equipment running safely and smoothly.
(Article continues below Infographic)
What Increases Elevator Accident Risks?
There are an estimated 900,000 elevators in the U.S., each carrying an average of 20,000 people a year. All told, around 18 billion elevator trips occur each year. Elevators can malfunction in many ways, including:
- Pulley system malfunction
- An open shaft or faulty doors
- Faulty wiring
- Incomplete repairs or inspections by poorly qualified personnel
- Unbalanced leveling of the elevator
Causes of Accidents on Escalators
There are around 33,000 escalators in use in the United States. While elevators are more deadly, escalators can also cause serious accidents. Several recent cases involving children indicate how severe injuries can be.
A young child’s foot was recently caught in an escalator at the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel in Waikiki, resulting in broken bones. Most of the skin on the child’s foot was also torn off. It took nearly an hour to free the child because the hotel worker did not have the proper tools available.
Escalator injuries are typically caused by improper installation, poor maintenance, entrapment between plates, irregular movements, and falls.
Safety Tips
Some simple tips can help ensure that passengers have a safe ride. Don’t ever try to manually open or close elevator doors. Stand clear of the door, and look and be certain that a car is present when the doors open.
Hold the handrail on the escalator. Do not take strollers on an escalator. Watch children carefully and consider carrying younger children. Be especially mindful of footwear that may get caught in the equipment.
Routine Maintenance Required
Owners of commercial buildings and establishments such as hotels are held accountable if someone is injured on improperly maintained or defective elevators or escalators. The Nevada premise liability law ensures that owners must inspect and maintain equipment routinely.
Routine maintenance may include replacement of motors and belts, and ensuring that guardrails, brakes and call buttons work correctly. If a property owner does not keep the property in safe working condition, an accident attorney in Las Vegas can help recover damages. Damages could include proper medical care and maintaining financial security. If you were injured in a hotel in Las Vegas, you may find suing a hotel on your own to be difficult, this is why it’s important to hire an attorney to assist you with your claim.
