Personal Injury Law

Toddler Injured in Joliet, Illinois Elevator Fall at the Plaza Hotel has Severe Head Trauma

Head trauma from a fall accident can be catastrophic for the victim?especially if the fall is from a high elevation and the victim is a young child. Yesterday, a 2-year-old by sustained severe head trauma when he fell 30 feet down an elevator shaft at the Plaza Hotel in Joliet. The Will County, Illinois fall accident happened at around 3:30 pm.

According to authorities the boy apparently left the hotel room he was staying in with his family and had wandered off alone. After getting into the elevator, he activated an emergency switch, which caused the elevator to stop between two floors. While the passenger cabin doors opened, the doors to the floors did not and that's when the Will County, Illinois elevator accident happened. The toddler fell through a 16-inch gap between the shaft?s concrete walls and the elevator car. He was admitted to a Chicago hospital.

Elevator Accident Cases
When an injury accident involves an elevator, it will be important to determine whether the elevator was defective or malfunctioned and if it was properly and regularly maintained and inspected. Common cause of elevator accidents can include mechanical break down, unbalanced leveling, an uncovered elevator shaft, faulty wiring, or a defective pulley system.

In addition to exploring whether the victim has grounds for an Illinois products liability case, there also may be reason for filing a Will County, Illinois premises liability claim against the owner of the property where the elevator is located.

Toddler seriously injured in fall from Joliet hotel elevator, Chicago Tribune, January 24, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Kids at Risk for Elevator Injuries, CBS News, June 19, 2007

Safe Ride? Older Elevators Causing Injuries, Deaths, ABC News

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on January 24, 2011 (boomark / email).