These are the types of cellar door accidents in New York City that make the news—usually because they’re attention-grabbing. There are thousands of cellar vault doors in the city—we walk past them every day. Do you know who is responsible if you were seriously injured in a cellar vault door accident in New York City?
Open Cellar Door Accidents
There have been stories about victims falling through unmarked sidewalk cellar doors and of vault doors opening directly in front of them. These accidents are often the most serious because a fall into a 10- or 15-foot hole is far more dangerous than simply tripping and skinning a knee.
Closed Cellar Door Accidents
The biggest hazard from closed cellar doors is tripping. These metal constructions often do not sit flush with the sidewalk. Though designed to be walked on safely, cellar doors are made out of steel—which warp, rusts, and thins over time and creates an uneven surface. This uneven surface creates a trip hazard. That hazard can lead to injuries ranging from a sprained wrist to broken bones or worse.
The owner/manager of the property abutting the cellar door or vault door is responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and repair of the cellar door. Failure to do so will expose them to a lawsuit resulting from a sidewalk cellar door accident in New York City. That means that the property owner/manager must:
1) When a cellar door is open and in operation, place highly visible barriers (such as caution tape or cones)
2) Regularly inspect, maintain and repair the door for any defects
4) Block off the area around a defective vault door
5) Respond quickly to any complaints made about a faulty or defective door in a timely fashion
If you’ve been injured by a sidewalk vault, contact an experienced sidewalk cellar door accident attorney in New York City to recover the compensation you are entitled to for your pain and suffering and lost time from work. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 today.