Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a class action lawsuit on behalf of property owners with an in-home elevator that was installed prior to 2017. According to the Washington Post reporting, a gap between the elevator doors may pose a safety risk to children. The Post reported that the “five-inch gap was codified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), an industry group that sets voluntary safety standards for cranes, elevators and escalators, among other products. The ASME’s five-inch rule for residential elevators actually resulted in an even bigger gap with the introduction of accordion-style elevator doors in the early 1990s. Accordion doors have peaks and valleys, which the five-inch rule did not take into account. So the true gap could be even larger, according to elevator experts.” It was further reported that “the elevator industry had known for more than 70 years: that children caught between the doors had been killed and injured before, crushed by moving elevators when their tiny bodies collided with the door frame above or fell into the elevator shaft below — a danger allowed to exist all these years by companies and regulators despite a simple solution, according to interviews with 28 officials, parents and regulators, plus a review of hundreds of documents from courts, companies and government agencies.” An executive director of the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities, which certifies elevator safety inspectors stated “It’s a hazard with an urgency that’s second to none.”
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If you own an in-home elevator that was installed prior to 2017, contact the attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf by submitting your information below.