Every day, thousands of people in Las Vegas step onto escalators and into elevators without a second thought. Most of the time, these machines move people seamlessly between floors in hotels, casinos, and other properties. However, when these complex systems fail, the results can be catastrophic. Malfunctioning elevators and escalators can cause serious injuries that require extensive medical care and time away from work, along with causing other damages like pain and suffering.
In many cases, Las Vegas elevator and escalator accidents are not mere flukes. They often only occur due to some form of negligence, such as poor maintenance, defective parts, or neglected safety inspections. When negligence leads to an injury, the victim has the right to seek financial compensation from the negligent party.
En Cottle Firm, nuestro Abogados de lesiones en hoteles y casinos de Las Vegas help our clients fight for the financial compensation they deserve for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. We’re prepared to investigate your case and help you take legal action against a negligent property owner, maintenance company, or manufacturer who was responsible for your injuries. Give us a call today at 866-755-9111 to explore your legal options.
Elevator and escalator rides are a routine part of daily life in Las Vegas casinos, hotels, and shopping centers. But when something goes wrong, these machines can cause devastating injuries in seconds. Here are some of the most common causes of elevator and escalator injuries in Las Vegas.
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Poor maintenance is one of the most common causes of elevator and escalator accidents. These machines contain intricate mechanical and electrical systems that must be regularly maintained to operate safely. If property owners or contractors skip inspections, delay repairs, or use unqualified technicians, problems can develop quietly until something breaks.
In elevators, neglected maintenance can cause issues like sudden drops, misleveling between floors, or doors that close too quickly. In escalators, worn treads, broken steps, and loose handrails can create serious fall hazards. Because Nevada law requires property owners to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition, failing to conduct proper maintenance can easily amount to negligence.
Sometimes the danger exists from the very beginning. Faulty design or improper installation can make an elevator or escalator unsafe, even with regular upkeep. For example, a defectively designed speed control could cause an escalator to accelerate unexpectedly, which could cause guests to fall and suffer injuries.
When equipment is defectively designed or installed, liability may fall on the manufacturer, the installation contractor, or both. These cases often require expert investigation to trace the problem back to its source.
Elevator and escalator injuries can also occur due to dangers in the surrounding environment, rather than the machinery itself. For example, spilled drinks, dropped luggage, or worn flooring near entry and exit points can create slip or trip and fall hazards. Property owners have a legal duty to monitor these areas, post warning signs, block off malfunctioning equipment, and respond to known hazards before they cause harm.
Sometimes accidents happen because the people responsible for safety are not properly trained. Security staff, maintenance crews, or custodians may not know how to react when an elevator stalls or an elevator malfunctions. Delays in shutting down equipment or errors during emergency responses can worsen injuries or even create new risks for trapped passengers.
In Nevada, elevators and escalators are legally recognized as “common carriers.” This classification places them in the same category as buses, trains, and airplanes – all systems that transport the public and therefore owe passengers the highest duty of care under the law.
Under Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 706.151, and reinforced by case law interpreting similar standards, common carriers must take every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety of those they transport. This heightened duty means operators and property owners can be held liable for even slight negligence leading to injury.
Owners and operators are not just expected to act reasonably, but to exercise the utmost care and vigilance in maintaining safe operations. Failing to perform a safety inspection, ignoring maintenance issues, or allowing equipment to operate despite known defects may all constitute violations of this heightened standard.
Determining liability for elevator and escalator accidents is not always straightforward. These machines may be owned by one entity, managed by another, and serviced by a third-party maintenance company. Each of these parties has a legal duty to ensure that the equipment is reasonably safe for public use.
Property owners, including hotel and casino operators, have a legal duty to maintain safe premises for their guests and employees. Under Nevada premises liability law, they must regularly inspect elevators and escalators, perform maintenance, and correct any hazards they know or should have known about.
If an elevator or escalator malfunctions because of the property owner’s negligence, such as delayed maintenance, that owner can be held liable for resulting injuries. Even when they hire a maintenance contractor, they can still share responsibility if they failed to properly oversee that company’s work or knowingly kept dangerous equipment in operation.
Many large properties in Las Vegas contract with specialized companies to maintain their elevators and escalators. These service providers are responsible for routine inspections, repairs, and compliance with safety codes. If a maintenance company skips inspections, uses unqualified technicians, fails to replace worn parts, or neglects safety standards in any other way, it may be held liable for negligence.
Sometimes, the problem lies in the design or manufacturing of the equipment itself. Defective parts, faulty control systems, or poor installation can all cause accidents. In such cases, victims may have a product liability claim against the manufacturer or installer.
Under Nevada product liability law, companies that design, build, or install unsafe machinery can be held strictly liable if the defect existed when the product left their control. That means victims do not have to prove negligence, only that the product was defective and caused their injuries.
In many Las Vegas elevator and escalator injury cases, multiple parties share liability. For example, a casino may be liable for failing to close off a broken escalator, while a maintenance company may also be responsible for poor upkeep.
When an elevator or escalator malfunctions, the resulting injuries can be severe. The combination of heavy machinery, moving parts, and confined spaces creates a high risk of crush injuries, falls, and trauma to the head, back, or limbs.
Falls are the most frequent type of injury associated with both elevators and escalators. Misleveling, when an elevator stops above or below the floor surface, can cause passengers to trip as they enter or exit. Escalators can cause similar hazards if the handrail moves at a different speed or stops suddenly.
Victims may suffer broken bones, sprained joints, torn ligaments, or facial injuries. For older adults, even a short fall can cause long-term mobility problems.
Escalators are especially dangerous for crush and entanglement injuries. Loose clothing, shoelaces, or luggage can get caught in the moving steps or between the comb plates at the top and bottom. Children are particularly vulnerable, as their smaller hands and feet can easily get trapped in the machinery.
These injuries can result in crushed bones, severe lacerations, or even amputations. Victims also often suffer emotional trauma in addition to their physical injuries.
When an elevator’s cable or braking system fails, passengers may experience a sudden drop, jolt, or hard landing. Even a short uncontrolled descent can cause serious injuries like spinal compression, concussions, and internal damage from the abrupt impact. In some cases, passengers may be thrown to the ground or struck by shifting luggage or other objects.
Malfunctioning elevator doors are another major source of injury. They might close too early, fail to detect passengers, or not open when they should. People can get pinned between doors or trapped inside a stalled elevator for long periods, which can cause panic, respiratory distress, or heat exhaustion.
Head and spinal injuries can be caused by sudden movements, falls, or blunt impacts in elevator and escalator accidents. Some common injuries include concussions, whiplash, herniated discs, and spinal cord injuries. All of these can easily lead to long-term disability or even paralysis.
Not all harm is physical. Many victims of elevator and escalator accidents suffer from psychological conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and claustrophobia long after the accident. Being trapped in an elevator or injured in a crowded public setting can leave lasting psychological scars.
Nevada law establishes detailed rules for the installation, inspection, and maintenance of elevators and escalators. These rules are primarily found in Chapter 455C of the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC), which outlines standards designed to prevent accidents and mechanical failures.
Under NAC 455C, property owners and operators must follow these guidelines:
Failure to follow these codes may result in violations issued by Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations (DIR), which oversees elevator safety and conducts investigations after serious incidents. In addition, if a violation of these codes results in injuries, those injured may have grounds for legal action against the property owner.
These state rules are also informed by national standards, including those from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators), which serve as the foundation for most elevator and escalator safety standards across the United States.
At the Cottle Firm, our experienced Las Vegas elevator and escalator injury lawyers know how to investigate complex cases involving casinos, hotels, shopping centers, and other commercial properties. If you or a loved one were hurt in an elevator or escalator accident, don’t wait to get help. Call us today at 866-755-9111 to schedule a free consultation and learn how we can help you fight for the compensation you deserve.
