A stairlift in your home is a vital tool for helping you get from floor to floor safely when you have mobility challenges. Each time that you sit on your stairlift and fasten the safety belt over your waist, you should be confident that you'll get up or down the stairs safely. This may be the case in most circumstances, but if you've been injured as a result of an issue with the stairlift, hiring a personal injury attorney is advisable. This is especially true if you were using the device as per the manufacturer's instructions and you believe that it malfunctioned — resulting in your injury. Here are some problems that could lead to a lawsuit.
Seat Failure
It's possible that the stairlift's seat broke while you were riding on it, resulting in you falling down the entire flight of stairs. This is obviously an issue that suggests a manufacturing problem with the stairlift. You'll need to prove that your body weight at the time of the injury was within the stairlift's threshold; if you were too heavy for the stairlift to transport you safely, this could pose a challenge to the suit. A faulty seat is indicative of negligence on the part of the stairlift company and can lead to a good settlement for you.
Breakdown
Stairlifts are generally designed to operate even when there's a power outage. A battery built into the stairlift will allow you to safely use it a number of times when your home is without power. However, if the stairlift were to stop partway up or down the stairs — perhaps as a result of a battery problem, a wiring issue, or a breakdown of the gears — you could be stranded. Numerous unwanted consequences could occur. For example, you might attempt to get out of the stairlift and navigate the stairs yourself, but fall down them and get hurt. Your attorney will argue that the breakdown of the device was a contributing factor to your fall.
Unresponsive Controls
You operate your stairlift by pressing the buttons on the hand control. These buttons allow you to move the stairlift up and down the rail, as well as stop it and turn it when you reach the top or the bottom. It's possible that a malfunction or some other type of problem could cause the controls to be unresponsive — potentially resulting in your injury. For example, you may have pressed the button to stop the stairlift from moving, only to have it continue on its path and cause you to fall out of the seat at some point. Each of these incidents could be the basis for a successful personal injury suit.
Contact a personal injury firm like Kilgore Smith LLC to learn more.
Share27 January 2020
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