[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/davis-saperstein-salomon-p-c-obtains-15-million-settlement-girl-injured-new-jersey-escalator-accident\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/davis-saperstein-salomon-p-c-obtains-15-million-settlement-girl-injured-new-jersey-escalator-accident\/","headline":"Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., Obtains $15 Million Settlement for Girl Injured in New Jersey Escalator Accident","name":"Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., Obtains $15 Million Settlement for Girl Injured in New Jersey Escalator Accident","description":"Attorney\u00a0Samuel L. Davis\u00a0recently secured a $15 million settlement on behalf of the family of a 13-year-old girl who suffered severe injuries in a 2013 escalator accident at a department store in New Jersey\u2019s Garden State Plaza. You can go\u00a0here\u00a0to read a press release about the case. Mr. Davis filed the...","datePublished":"2016-05-27","dateModified":"2021-11-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/author\/dsslaw\/#Person","name":"Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.","url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/author\/dsslaw\/","identifier":12,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/645d493126a7be6f90be911a6e7d4382c0cd63874673097832081394c8bcf8ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/645d493126a7be6f90be911a6e7d4382c0cd63874673097832081394c8bcf8ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/bg-logo.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/bg-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":90}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/justice-289x185.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/justice-289x185.jpg","height":185,"width":289},"url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/davis-saperstein-salomon-p-c-obtains-15-million-settlement-girl-injured-new-jersey-escalator-accident\/","about":["Firm News"],"wordCount":702,"articleBody":"Attorney\u00a0Samuel L. Davis\u00a0recently secured a $15 million settlement on behalf of the family of a 13-year-old girl who suffered severe injuries in a 2013 escalator accident at a department store in New Jersey\u2019s Garden State Plaza.You can go\u00a0here\u00a0to read a press release about the case.Mr. Davis filed the lawsuit in Bergen County Superior Court (Docket No. 13-5957) against both the department store and Thyssen Krupp Elevator Corporation, the company responsible for maintaining the store\u2019s escalators.According to the lawsuit, the department store installed its escalators when the mall opened in Paramus, New Jersey, in 1958. The usual service life of such escalators is 20-25 years. However, the store never replaced or upgraded them.The girl and her family claimed that the escalator\u2019s obsolescence and poor maintenance caused gaps in the machinery, which led to the girl\u2019s foot becoming entrapped in an accident on August 16, 2013.In the two years before the girl\u2019s injury, a number of incidents occurred involving the escalator, including a similar event the day before the girl\u2019s accident in which a customer\u2019s shoe had been caught in the escalator, the complaint stated.The department store canceled a state-mandated inspection of the escalator that was originally scheduled for March 2013 and never rescheduled it due to its interference with the store\u2019s retail operations, the lawsuit further alleged. After the tragedy, the department store replaced the escalators.\u201cAbout 10,000 escalator-related injuries per year result in emergency treatment in the United States \u2013 a large percentage of those injured are children,\u201d Mr. Davis said. \u201cEscalators are inherently dangerous, especially for kids.\u201dWhen a problem with an escalator emerges, it should be addressed immediately, no matter the circumstances, Mr. Davis added.\u201cPoorly maintained relics, like the one that almost claimed this young girl\u2019s life, should never be allowed to stay in operation after the store becomes aware they are damaged,\u201d Mr. Davis said. \u201cThe department store chose profit over safety and instead of disrupting the back-to-school shopping rush, the department store put countless patrons, particularly children, at risk.\u201dAs the lawsuit alleged, the girl\u2019s foot became entrapped and swallowed by the top of the stair of the store\u2019s escalator in the August 2013 incident. A bystander hit the emergency stop button, and several other bystanders tried to remove pieces of the escalator to free the girl\u2019s leg.Emergency personnel took the child to Hackensack University Medical Center. Over the course of seven weeks, a team of specialists provided care and treatment for her, including trauma surgeon Sanjeev Kaul, M.D., plastic surgeon William Boss, M.D., and pediatric orthopedist David Forsh, M.D.The girl\u2019s treatment included 22 procedures to save her foot from amputation and completely rebuild it. She received skin and muscle grafts from other parts of her body.The girl also suffered lung and kidney failure. She remained in the hospital for almost three months after the accident and received years of physical therapy.She also received treatment at Children\u2019s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and New York Presbyterian Medical Center under the care of pediatric orthopedist Joshua Hyman, M.D.She may require future surgery to correct her slight limp.Throughout her years of treatment, the girl has kept a positive outlook. She has also expressed an interest in pursuing a career in medicine, Mr. Davis said.\u201cShe said that the experience with almost losing her foot has taught her how dedicated doctors can give someone back a life,\u201d Mr. Davis said. \u201cShe would like to do the same for other injured children.\u201dPlease contact Mr. Davis at (201) 907-5000 or e-mail\u00a0samuel.davis@dsslaw.com\u00a0to learn more about this case.About the AuthorLatest PostsDavis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.Since 1981, the compassionate personal injury lawyers at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon have been delivering results for our deserving clients. We are solely committed to helping injured individuals, never representing corporations.\u00a0No matter how large or small your personal injury case is, you can trust that it is important to us.NYC Construction Accident - The Dangers of Jobsite Falls and Workers' RightsSteven Benvenisti Advocates for HALT Drunk Driving LawDavis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. 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