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Home / Personal Injury / Elevator & Escalator Accidents
Elevator & Escalator Accidents

Pursuing Compensation for Elevator and Escalator Accidents in New Jersey

More than 65 years of dedicated service throughout the state

You likely rely on escalators and elevators almost daily at your home, your office or in businesses, shopping centers and entertainment complexes throughout New Jersey. Although elevator and escalator accidents are rare, the resulting injuries are often devastating. Because of the potential for catastrophic injuries, New Jersey requires regular inspections and basic maintenance of the equipment by licensed companies. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Elevator Safety Unit registers all elevator equipment and administers regulations.

Founded in 1950, Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC has the experience to litigate complex personal injury claims. We demand that the people and corporations responsible for your accident pay you maximum damages for physical injuries, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, lost income, diminished future earning capacity, medical bills and anticipated treatments. Depending on your individual circumstances, our lawyers may file a lawsuit against the property owner, the service company or the elevator or escalator manufacturer.

Common causes of elevator accidents

An elevator accident can cause serious injuries — such as head trauma, spinal cord damage, broken bones, contusions, amputations and crush injuries. Often these severe injuries are fatal. Common elevator malfunctions include:

  • The elevator stops between floors
  • The elevator drops or rises suddenly
  • The elevator cable breaks
  • The elevator doors fail to close before the elevator moves
  • A large gap exists between the elevator car and the shaft
  • The elevator sensor does not detect a human body part before closing on the person’s hand, arm, leg, foot or torso
  • An elevator maintenance worker forgets to reengage the apparatus’s door safety switch following repairs

These problems typically occur because the building manager or owner did not adequately maintain the equipment, the elevator service company did not complete their annual reviews or botched needed repairs or the building code department failed to detect noncompliance with regulations.

Common escalator accidents

Escalators present serious potential hazards — especially to kids, elderly or frail individuals. Crush injuries, amputations and falls occur because:

  • The escalator quickly accelerates
  • The escalator speed is set too fast
  • A large gap exists between escalator steps and the floor
  • The rail of the escalator is too low
  • The angle of the escalator is too steep
  • The escalator is unreasonably long and high
  • The side of the escalator is open, increasing the risk of falls from height

At Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC, you meet with a team of lawyers and legal professionals who assist you throughout your case. We strive to obtain compensation quickly through settlement options.  When a settlement proves impossible, we litigate aggressively on your behalf.

Consult our experienced attorneys about injuries suffered in escalator or elevator accidents

For more information about escalator and elevator accidents, call a lawyer at Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC at 973 676-1555 or contact the firm online to schedule your one-hour free initial consultation. For your convenience, we have offices in East Orange Office, Elmwood Park Office, Pompton Plains, and Avon by the Sea, with Spanish-speaking translators available by request.

$800,000.00 settlement in less than nine (9) months!
In September of 2025, Phil Wiskow settled a legal malpractice case, resulting from a botched personal injury case, for $800,000.00. Most significantly, Mr. Wiskow settled the case less than nine (9) months after the client hired him. Since the client settled his botched case for over $200,000.00, the full amount of the client's recovery exceeded one million dollars.
Settled his 60 year old client’s motorcycle accident case for $1,700,000.00
In the Spring of 2017, Phil Wiskow settled his 60 year old client’s motorcycle accident case for $1,700,000.00. Frankly, the case would have settled for more money but the most culpable party only had a $300,000.00 liability insurance policy. The firm’s client, who was already disabled and receiving social security benefits at the time of his accident, sustained multiple lower leg fractures–which ultimately resulted in numerous surgeries and an above the knee amputation–when a delivery van blindly backed out of a loading dock and pinned his leg against his bike. The majority of the client’s settlement money was paid by the owner of a tractor-trailer and the lessee of the loading dock whose dangerous loading and unloading procedures blocked the van driver’s view of the motorcycle and the firm’s client’s view of the van.
VERDICTS & SETTLEMENTS
  • In the Spring of 2020, Phil Wiskow settled a motor vehicle/motorcycle accident case for the Defendant’s 1.3M policy limit. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
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    60 Evergreen Place
    Suite 502
    East Orange, New Jersey 07018
    Phone: 973 676-1555
    Fax: 973-675-5674
  • Elmwood Park Office
    One Broadway
    Suite 102
    Elmwood Park, New Jersey 07407
    Phone: 973 676-1555
    Fax: 973-675-5674
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    142 Route 23 North
    Pompton Plain, New Jersey 07444
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    Avon by the Sea, New Jersey 07717
    Phone: 973-713-4667
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