LAX Escalator Accident Attorney

The vast majority of escalator injuries occur from sudden stop and sudden start accidents. This is usually due to a failure in the escalator’s electrical components, such as faulty wiring or issues with the power supply. Most of these accidents are completely preventable through a system of regular inspections and maintenance. This is the property owner’s responsibility, so if an escalator accident occurs on their premises, they are generally responsible for the victim’s harm and suffering.  

Keep in mind that when an escalator stops without warning, everyone on the escalator is at risk of being injured. This can happen even if one person falls over and knocks into someone that’s below or in front of them. Another contributing factor is the extra stuff people have with them when they are on an airport escalator. Suitcases and large bags can tumble down the escalator and cause harm to others or exacerbate the victim’s injuries.

Without a doubt, sudden stops and starts are the most common source injury that’s associated with escalators at LAX. Other issues that are responsible for injuries on an escalator include:

• Uneven, broken, or missing escalator steps
• Handrails that are ineffective (product defect, failure to abide by industry safety standards)
• Gaps – too much space – between the sides and steps of the escalator, making it easier for things like clothing, shoelaces, long hair, etc., to get caught in the escalator.
• Dim lighting or lack of lights
• No signs, caution tape, etc. to ensure that people stay off the escalator until it can be inspected / repaired.
• Failure to clean sticky / slippery substances or debris off escalator steps (leading to a slip and fall or trip and fall)

Any malfunction with an escalator can cause it to stop or start without warning, thereby pitching the person forward, backward, or sideways. This is likely to cause serious injuries to multiple parts of your body. Injuries you can end up end up from a defective escalator at LAX include:

• Broken facial bones
• Skull fracture / traumatic brain injury
• Hip fracture
• Sprains in the wrists and ankles
• Dislocated shoulder
• Dental damage (broken teeth, for example)
• Ruptured spleen
• Fractured kneecap
• Spinal cord damage
• Neck and back injury
• Permanent nerve damage
• Broken tailbone
• Permanent scars
• Complex regional pain syndrome, aka chronic pain

Even if you don’t have excessive bleeding and other alarming symptoms, please seek medical attention right away. Many injuries caused by escalators are not obvious on day one of the accident, but left untreated, they can result in serious infections, disfigurement, loss of function, and other conditions that you will have to live with for the rest of your life. Along with medical care, make sure to learn about your rights and legal options from an escalator accident injury attorney.

Yes, you can seek monetary damages by suing the owners of LAX if you were injured because of their failure to inspect, maintain, or repair issues with the escalator. In essence, you must prove that Los Angeles World Airport failed in their duty of care to you as a guest on the property.

Failure to safeguard conditions on the property by the owner can take many forms. For example, the owner failed to repair or warn the public about a dangerous condition that they were aware of. Perhaps they were told multiple times by different passengers about the escalator not functioning property, but they did not schedule a repair service or post signs and barriers to keep people away from the escalator. Even if they were never told about the problem, regular inspections of the premises could have alerted them to mechanical issues that made the escalator dangerous.

Sadly, airport operators may be dealing with poor leadership, understaffing, and tight budgets, which can all play a role in why an escalator ends up malfunctioning at an airport. However, LAWA has a legal duty to take care of Los Angeles International Airport and ensure that there are no defects with the escalators. Hence, they are the liable, or responsible party, in most cases of injury at LAX.

Accident claims involving injuries on an escalator almost always have values in the 6 to 7-figure range. The hard surface and sharp angles on an escalator and its potential to cause injuries like amputation, paralysis, and brain damage are why settlement values are so high with these cases. It’s not unusual for an airport escalator injury victim to end up with anywhere from $500,000 to $3,500,000. In the most extreme cases of injury, like getting your foot stuck in an escalator, the resulting settlement may fall between $10,000,000 and $15,000,000.

Cleary, these are valuable claims, and the amounts awarded for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages can be quite substantial. To learn how much you are entitled to from being injured on an escalator at LAX, contact us today.

If you are filing a claim with Los Angeles World Airports, it may take between 12 and 24 months before a settlement is reached between you and the city. The process to sue the government involves filing a claim with the city and trying to negotiate a payment without court intervention. If you are able to agree on the numbers, it’s possible that you will settle your case in 6 months or less. However, most airport escalator accident cases progress to a lawsuit, based on the severity of injuries and the amount that you are owed.

A small percentage of these cases may be tried in court, but we want to stress that even if we ask for a court date, it’s more than likely that your case will settle before then. If a settlement cannot be achieved and going to court is the only option, securing payment from an LAX escalator injury lawsuit can take between 3 and 5 years.

First and foremost, it’s important to recognize that LAX is a public entity, meaning that it’s owned and operated by the government. To be specific, the airport is operated by the Los Angeles World Airports, a department that was established by the city to manage day to day operations at Los Angeles International Airport, Van Nuys Airport, and aviation-related property near Palmdale Regional Airport.

Because of their classification as a government agency, you only have 6 months starting from the date of your accident to file a claim. If you are past the deadline of 6 months, you will lose the right to seek compensation, even if it’s indisputable that LAWA is responsible for your injuries.

Keep in mind that some escalator accident lawsuits involve a third party, like the installation and/or inspection company. Faulty installation and improper inspection methods by these entities can also cause someone to be injured on an escalator. These companies are private entities and not part of the city government of Los Angeles. Thus, you may have up to 2 years from the incident date to file a lawsuit. However, it may be the case that liability is split between the city and a company they contracted for inspections and repairs. So, you may be working with two different deadlines and procedures on how to file a claim.

These are just some of the issues that can make the legal system overwhelming for the average person. With that in mind, please seek help from a lawyer with experience in suing for accidents at Los Angeles International Airport.

While escalators at airports provide comfort and convenience, they can also be the source of life-altering injuries. That’s why it’s important to hold negligent property owners accountable and restore the victim’s monetary losses.

Here at DTLA Law Group, we have a dedicated team of LAX injury lawyers, who are available to answer your questions. We know the pain, stress, and aggravation you are going through, and it would never occur to us to charge you for the cost of legal services. Hence, we have a Zero Fee Guarantee that will protect your finances if you decide we are the right firm to handle your case. You pay us $0 to represent you, since we ask the city of Los Angeles to cover legal fees as a part of your settlement. If we don’t win your case, you still pay $0, as we don’t believe in getting paid unless you do.

Our legal team is standing by 24/7, so call us today and schedule a free consultation with an airport accident lawsuit attorney.