On Sunday, an 87-year-old man got his legs stuck in the doors of an elevator in his Manhattan housing project.

At last report, the man was in critical condition at Harlem Hospital.

This incident is a frightening and sad reminder of the kind of tragedy that can strike when elevators malfunction.

The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The man got his legs caught between the doors when the elevator was between two floors. Police have not released any more information other than that, but we can say with confidence that the doors of an elevator should not be opening when the car is between floors.

Building owners are under an obligation to make sure that their property is safe for people to use. Part of that obligation is to make sure elevators are working properly. Failure to safely maintain premises -- including elevators - can mean that the property owner is liable to anyone who is hurt as a result of that failure.

What we are describing here is a field of law known as premises liability. It's one of the areas we focus our practice on. If you would like to learn more, we invite you to keep reading this blog; we update it at least twice a week with news and relevant information.

Source: The New York Post, "East Harlem man critical after elevator accident," Dec. 31, 2012

  • Our law firm helps people who have been injured in elevator and escalator accidents. For more information on this portion of our work, we invite you to visit the Premises Liability portion of our website.