Automatic doors are found almost everywhere today. Airports, shopping malls, office buildings, and grocery stores all use automatic doors because of the convenience they offer to customers and patrons. These doors operate almost constantly everyday, and often develop problems which cause them to malfunction. When an automatic door malfunctions and causes injuries, the business owner or property owner may be liable.
Is A Business Owner Liable For Injuries Caused By Automatic Doors?Liability of business owners for malfunctions of automatic doors is usually founded upon negligence and premises liability. For example, one person injured in an automatic door was able to recover from the business owner for negligence when the automatic door closed unexpectedly due to a defective mechanism. In another case, a hospital visitor was injured when an automatic door struck her while closing. The visitor was able to recover when she showed numerous reports of other incidents where the automatic doors had struck people.
Injuries can also occur when automatic doors open too quickly. An airport passenger who was injured when he came into contact with a glass automatic door which did not open was able to recover for his injuries, despite the fact that the doors had been inspected before and after the accident and were found to be working properly.
Is A Property Owner Liable For Injuries Caused By Automatic Doors?A building owner is liable for its negligent maintenance of an automatic door which causes it to strike a person passing through the door. However, a land owner will not be liable for defects which he had no notice of. For example, one property owner was found liable to an infant who lost a finger when an automatic door closed on the infant's hand. The court found that it was foreseeable that a child could be injured and therefore the door should have been equipped with finger protection devices.
Should I Consult An Attorney If I Have Been Injured By An Automatic Door?If you have been injured by an automatic door, a personal injury attorney can help. Proving your case can be difficult, but an attorney can explain the law and help protect your rights so that you can collect damages for your injuries. |
 |
