Automatic Door Accidents

Many stores and businesses on Cape Cod have automatic doors. Although automatic doors theoretically make life easier, when they malfunction, it is not only inconvenience but it can also cause serious harm. People who are injured in automatic door accidents should not have to bear the burden of the financial and physical losses caused by their harm, though, and in many cases, they can recover damages from the owner of the property where the injury occurred. If you were hurt by an automatic door, the committed Cape Cod premises liability lawyers of The Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, can assess your potential claims and help you to seek the maximum compensation available under the law. Our seasoned attorneys have more than one hundred and fifty years of joint experience helping injured parties seek compensation in civil lawsuits, and our zealous representation has enabled us to recover several multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for our clients.

Garages, shopping centers, hospitals, schools, and many other businesses have automatic doors. Automatic doors generally benefit property owners as they make it easier to maintain temperatures, and they make it easier for people to enter and exit a property. Automatic doors typically determine when to open and close based on motion sensors or plates in the ground that evaluate pressure. Most automatic doors also have a mechanism that allows them to determine whether a person has cleared the entryway before closing.

Like most things involving technology, automatic doors have the potential to malfunction. For example, if something obstructs a sensor, it may not accurately determine when to open or close. In some cases, pressure plates and sensors will simply wear out over time. Most accidents caused by automatic doors occur when the doors close too quickly and crush or strike a person. People can also collide with doors that fail to open correctly. Automatic door accidents can cause fractures, especially of the bones of the hands and feet, contusions, and lacerations. In some instances, they can result in amputation injuries and concussions.

In Massachusetts, people and entities that own property owe a duty to people legally entering the property to exercise reasonable care. This means that they must maintain a property in a condition that is reasonably safe under the circumstances. It also imposes a responsibility to remove or reduce any known dangers that could foreseeably harm a person. If a property owner fails to uphold these duties and harm ensues, the property owner may be held accountable.

Generally, people hurt in accidents on someone else’s property will assert negligence claims against the property owner in a civil lawsuit. Under Massachusetts law, to prove negligence, a plaintiff must show that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty and that the defendant’s behavior constitutes a breach of the duty. The plaintiff must then show that the breach led to the accident in which the plaintiff suffered injuries, and the plaintiff sustained quantifiable harm. In cases arising out of automatic door accidents, the duty owed will likely be the duty to maintain a safe property, and the breach will be allowing a dangerous condition, specifically the defective door, to be present. Usually, a plaintiff will have to show that the defendant knew or should have known that an automatic door was likely to cause harm for the defendant to be found liable.

Automatic door breakdowns and failures can lead to accidents that cause grave harm. If you were hurt in an incident involving an automatic door, you may be owed damages and should meet with a lawyer. The seasoned attorneys of The Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, are well-versed in what it takes to prove a property owner should be held liable in a civil lawsuit, and if we represent you will fight tirelessly to help you seek just results. Our skilled representation has allowed us to maintain a history of favorable verdicts, including many that are over one million dollars. We frequently assist injured people in premises liability lawsuits on Cape Cod, and we offer consultations in Plymouth and Hyannis. You can contact us at (888) 262-6664 or via our online form to set up a conference. Nós Falamos Português.