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Chicago Elevator & Escalator Accident Attorney

Were you involved in an elevator or escalator accident in Chicago, Illinois? You may be entitled to file a personal injury claim for your injuries and related financial losses. The Chicago premises liability lawyers with Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC can help you make the most of your claim. 

Our top-rated personal injury law firm has over 100 years of combined experience and has recovered tens of millions of dollars for injured victims in Chicago. We’ll work just as hard for you if you hire us, so call (312) 701-0090 today for a free consultation. 

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How Mark L. Karno & Associates Can Help After an Elevator or Escalator Accident in Chicago, Illinois

Mark L. Karno & Associates has decades of experience handling personal injury cases in Chicago. Insurance companies and other defendants know that we have a track record of success that they won’t be able to ignore. When you hire our personal injury attorneys for help, we can:

  • Investigate the mechanical cause of the accident and determine what went wrong
  • Obtain maintenance logs, inspection records, and repair histories for the equipment
  • Identify all parties that may share liability for the failure
  • Work with engineering experts to strengthen your claim
  • Pursue a lawsuit and take your case to trial if the responsible parties refuse to settle fairly

Learn more about your legal rights and options today by reaching out to us for a free consultation. We’re ready to get to work on your case as soon as you are. 

Common Causes of Elevator and Escalator Accidents

Elevators and escalators are complex mechanical systems that require regular inspection and maintenance to operate safely. When building owners or maintenance companies cut corners, the risk of a serious malfunction goes up. Some of the most common causes include:

  • Doors that close too quickly and with excessive force
  • Sudden stops caused by mechanical failure
  • Misleveling, where the elevator stops above or below the floor and creates a trip hazard
  • Escalator steps that move at inconsistent speeds
  • Gaps between escalator steps and side panels that catch clothing and shoes
  • Electrical malfunctions that cause fires

The resulting harm from these accidents can range from serious back and neck injuries to severe psychological distress from being trapped inside a malfunctioning elevator.

What Damages Can I Recover After an Elevator or Escalator Accident?

Illinois allows accident victims to pursue both economic and non-economic damages in premises liability cases.

Economic damages cover your financial losses, such as:

  • Medical bills (MRIs, hospital transport, etc…)
  • Future treatment
  • Lost wages
  • Reduced earning capacity
  • Out-of-pocket expenses

Non-economic damages compensate you for:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of quality of life
  • Mental anguish and trauma
  • Disability

In rare cases that go to trial and involve egregious misconduct, punitive damages might also be awarded.

$6.32m

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a 24-year-old patron at a tavern owned by Ginx, Inc. Another patron, known only as “Mike,” became intoxicated, argumentative and violent at…
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$6.32m

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a 24-year-old patron at a tavern owned by Ginx, Inc. Another patron, known only as “Mike,” became intoxicated, argumentative and violent at the tavern as the evening progressed. “Mike” then got into a fight with another patron of the bar and was asked to leave. “Mike” later returned to the bar within minutes and was patted down by the tavern’s bouncer. The bouncer felt what he felt was a gun in “Mike’s” pants and then asked him to leave the tavern, again. Within seconds of Mike leaving the tavern, shots were fired into the tavern through a boarded-up side door. Our client, who was not involved in any altercation that evening, was shot in the back while playing pool near the area of the boarded-up side door.

Client’s Injuries: Permanent paraplegia with paralysis from the nipple-line down, spastic bladder and bowel, broken ribs and a collapsed lung

$825k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was shot with a handgun inside her own apartment by her brother who had entered the building through the front door of the…
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$825k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was shot with a handgun inside her own apartment by her brother who had entered the building through the front door of the apartment complex that was equipped with a lock that was not functioning properly. We successfully argued that the landlord had liability for the shooting due to the fact that the local ordinance required entryway doors to be equipped with a working locking mechanism that required a key to enter the premises.

Client’s Injuries: Gunshot wound that entered the oral cavity and shattered the mandible and went through the neck and then lodged into her right scapula causing a fracture. Also sustained injuries to her right jugular vein and right carotid artery.

$750k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was painting the exterior stairway at 625½ West Arlington, Chicago, Illinois, when he encountered a garbage can…
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$750k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was painting the exterior stairway at 625½ West Arlington, Chicago, Illinois, when he encountered a garbage can on the winder portion of the staircase at which time he lost his balance and fell over the railing of the stairway, falling two stories to the ground. It was alleged that there were various defects in the staircase.

Client’s Injuries: Rib fractures, a burst dislocation of T10/T11 and T11/T12 with paraplegia, which required a fusion of T8 to L1 with a rib graft

$722.5k

Premises Liability

Facts: A power strip manufactured by Gemini Industries, Inc., for Philips-Magnavox failed, causing a fire at a condominium in Homewood, Illinois. The product failure consisted of…
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$722.5k

Premises Liability

Facts: A power strip manufactured by Gemini Industries, Inc., for Philips-Magnavox failed, causing a fire at a condominium in Homewood, Illinois. The product failure consisted of either an MOV and/or thermal fuse failure and/or inappropriate installation of the MOV and/or thermal fuse when the power strip was manufactured. The fire burned through the walls of the condominium unit and entered the adjoining condominium.

Client’s Injuries: Wrongful death of 67-year-old caused by burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. Deceased was a retired train engineer.

$600k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on the remnants of the base of a concrete pillar on the defendant’s property that previously held up a canopy…
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$600k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on the remnants of the base of a concrete pillar on the defendant’s property that previously held up a canopy over the sidewalk.

Client’s Injuries: Right ankle sprain and ligament tear, complex regional pain syndrome of the right lower extremity, type 1, requiring initial treatment of right lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks, a spinal cord implant surgery which lead to a staph infection.

$425k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a customer at a gasoline service station when he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant and robbed, while the…
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$425k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a customer at a gasoline service station when he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant and robbed, while the vehicle he was a passenger in was car-jacked by a group of criminals.

Client’s Injuries: Complete spinal cord injury to T8 resulting in paraplegia; a right 8th rib fracture and numerous complications including phlebitis, fecal impaction, sacral decubitus ulcer, multiple decubitus wounds, back area wounds, bilateral heel wounds, right ischial pressure and post-sacral pressure sore requiring operations for excisional preparation for muscle flap closure of right ischium and excisional preparation for fasciocutaneous closure of the sacrum.

$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was touring the inside of a country club looking at various pieces of equipment to potentially purchase. As she was descending a…
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$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was touring the inside of a country club looking at various pieces of equipment to potentially purchase. As she was descending a flight of carpeted stairs on the premises, she tripped over a piece of carpet that was torn and fell down four stairs. The defense argued the defective condition of the stairs was an open and obvious condition and therefore, they were not liable for our client’s injuries. We successfully argued against the defense’s position and attained a settlement for our client in the amount of $300,000.00.

Client’s Injuries: Nondisplaced sacral fracture and subsequent sacroiliac joint pain.

$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile being driven northbound on Route 31 north of Gracy Road, in McHenry County, Illinois, when it was…
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$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile being driven northbound on Route 31 north of Gracy Road, in McHenry County, Illinois, when it was struck by a truck being driven southbound on Route 31 that had crossed the center line.

Client’s Injuries: Multiple fractures

$205k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped over a garden hose that was left out behind a gated entrance to her house. She suffered a distal radius left fracture,…
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$205k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped over a garden hose that was left out behind a gated entrance to her house. She suffered a distal radius left fracture, which required two surgeries. The defendant argued that hose was an open and obvious condition. The case settled for $205,000.00.

$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when she slipped and fell on a wet floor near the salad bar. The floor had…
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$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when she slipped and fell on a wet floor near the salad bar. The floor had recently been mopped by a restaurant employee.

Client’s Injuries: Mild concussion causing headaches, a C3-C4 disc herniation, C4-C5 disc bulge, cervical sprain, disc protrusions at the levels of C4 and C7 with associated cervical radiculopathy, requiring epidural injections; a non-displaced occult type fracture of the distal tibia with a bone contusion of the distal tibia and the talus requiring her to utilize a Cam walker and a cane.

$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was exiting her apartment complex and walking on the sidewalk toward the parking lot of her building. However, just before reaching the parking…
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$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was exiting her apartment complex and walking on the sidewalk toward the parking lot of her building. However, just before reaching the parking lot, our client was caused to slip and fall on an unnatural accumulation of ice on the sidewalk due to improper placement/maintenance of a drainage gutter.

Client’s Injuries: Displaced left distal radius fracture requiring open reduction internal fixation surgery.

$170k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was lawfully on the defendant’s premises walking down the interior stairs to the basement of the apartment building when she fell down the…
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$170k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was lawfully on the defendant’s premises walking down the interior stairs to the basement of the apartment building when she fell down the stairs after slipping on a foreign substance. We successfully argued that the property owner was negligent in the maintenance of their property by allowing a foreign substance to remain on the surface of the stairwell, thereby causing a slippery and hazardous condition; by failing to maintain a firmly fastened handrail in good condition; failure to warn persons walking down the stairway of the dangerous condition existing on the premises; and failed to properly and sufficiently illuminate the stairway, causing our client to suffer severe and permanent injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Sprain to the medial collateral ligament in the knee, partial tear of the rotator cuff and the AC joint in the left shoulder.

$165k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on a liquid substance left sitting on the highly polished floors at the defendant’s restaurant. Client’s Injuries: Left patella contusion with…
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$165k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on a liquid substance left sitting on the highly polished floors at the defendant’s restaurant.

Client’s Injuries: Left patella contusion with posttraumatic chondromalacia patella, mild lateral femoral condyle and lateral tibial plateau contusion.

$151.9k

Premises Liability

Facts: The plaintiff, age 3, was a patron of South Sea Seafood Restaurant, which was located at 2168 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, when…
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$151.9k

Premises Liability

Facts: The plaintiff, age 3, was a patron of South Sea Seafood Restaurant, which was located at 2168 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, when the defendant, an exchange student from Seoul, South Korea, spun a lazy Susan tray containing a pitcher of hot tea that subsequently fell off the lazy Susan tray causing boiling hot water to spill onto the child.

Client’s Injuries: Scald burn to left extremity and right body, right elbow, right thigh, and right calf

$150k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was walking on public property when she slipped and fell due to the defendant property owner’s negligence in the maintenance of their property…
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$150k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was walking on public property when she slipped and fell due to the defendant property owner’s negligence in the maintenance of their property by piling up shoveled snow adjacent to the exit sidewalk. We successfully argued that the property owner should not have piled the snow up so near the exit to the premises, which in turn allowed it to thaw and refreeze creating an icing condition on the sidewalk, which caused the slip and fall which resulted in our client’s injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Lumbosacral strain, C5-C6 disc bulge, foraminal stenosis, nerve root irritation.

$135k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was on his way to work when he came onto the sidewalk in front of the office building where he worked where he…
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$135k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was on his way to work when he came onto the sidewalk in front of the office building where he worked where he slipped and fell on ice formed by runoff from the building.

Client’s Injuries: Fracture of the left femoral neck (hip fracture).

$125k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped and fell due to the defendant’s negligence in the maintenance of its property. The defendant failed to adequately secure the carpeting on…
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$125k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped and fell due to the defendant’s negligence in the maintenance of its property. The defendant failed to adequately secure the carpeting on the stairway leading down from the second floor; allowing the stairway to exist with a lack of uniform sized treads and risers; not having sufficient handrails and having inadequate lighting, resulting in our client’s injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Bimalleolar fracture of the right ankle which led to an open reduction internal fixation operation.

$110k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when a server spilled a pot of boiling water onto our client. Client’s Injuries: Severe burns to…
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$110k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when a server spilled a pot of boiling water onto our client.

Client’s Injuries: Severe burns to right shoulder, right arm, chest, and face; diagnosed with full thickness skin loss due to 3rd degree burns to the forehead, cheek, upper arm, and shoulder.

$100k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was in an elevator at 5838 N. Sheridan Rd. when the elevator dropped and fell multiple floors until it fell into the elevator…
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$100k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was in an elevator at 5838 N. Sheridan Rd. when the elevator dropped and fell multiple floors until it fell into the elevator pit.

$90k

Premises Liability

Facts: The defendant was visiting our client’s home and while our client was escorting the defendant to her car as she was leaving the premises, the…
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$90k

Premises Liability

Facts: The defendant was visiting our client’s home and while our client was escorting the defendant to her car as she was leaving the premises, the defendant ran into and pushed our client to the ground because the defendant overreacted to seeing a stray animal in the street.

Client’s Injuries: Suffered a comminuted fracture in the distal end or metaphysic of the radius with fractured lines extending to the distal articular cortical margin; open reduction internal fixation surgery to repair her fractured wrist.

Contact a Chicago Elevator & Escalator Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

An elevator or escalator accident can leave you with painful injuries and immense uncertainty about what to do next. Mark L. Karno & Associates has the experience to investigate what happened and fight for the maximum possible compensation available if this has happened to you in Chicago, IL. Call us at (312) 701-0090 or reach out online to set up your free consultation today.

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Legal Theories & Liability

  • Premises Liability Overview
  • Attractive Nuisance Doctrine
  • Building Code Violations
  • Dram Shop Liability
  • Failure To Warn/Unmarked Hazards
  • Negligent Hiring/Supervision
  • Negligent Maintenance
  • Negligent Security
  • Social Host Liability

Hazards & Dangerous Conditions

  • Broken Handrails
  • Ceiling Collapse
  • Dangerous Conditions
  • Defective Stairs
  • Elevator & Escalator Accidents
  • Falling Merchandise
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  • Slip and Fall Accidents
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  • Swimming Pool Accidents

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  • Chicago
  • Cicero
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“Mark Karno and his attorneys get the job done.”

Mr. Mark Karno, and his attorneys get the job done. I most definitely will go back if I have another issue. THANK VERY MUCH

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“I’m very grateful to Mark Karno & Associates. They got me what I deserved!”

I’m very thankful to Mark Karno & Associates. They got me what I deserved! Very professional and would definitely recommend to family and friends, if an event would arise. Thank you Mr. Hyzy, Breann, Rebecca & Elissa!! It’s been a pleasure!

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Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC
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Chicago office
33 N LaSalle St
Suite 3500
Chicago, IL 60602

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Phone (312) 701-0090 Fax (312) 701-0600

Aurora office By Appointment Only:
1444 N Farnsworth Ave
Suite 1050
Aurora, IL 60505

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Phone (630) 406-8400

Miami Office By Appointment Only:
2 S Biscayne Boulevard
Suite 2630
Miami, FL 33131

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Phone (305) 580-0000

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