Beware of Moving Sidewalks

I’m Katelyn Holub, an attorney focusing on personal injury law in northwest Indiana.

Welcome to Personal Injury Primer, where we break down the law into simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss personal injury law topics.

Today’s question comes from a man who fell when a moving sidewalk at a store malfunctioned. He called to ask about his legal rights.

We used to get calls involving falls on escalators. But, as malls and two-story department stores close, escalator falls are happening less frequently.

However, we find that home improvement chain stores have been installing moving walkways to permit customers and their shopping carts to move between the first and second floors. These walkways are a bit like escalators in the way they function but are more like moving ramps instead of moving stairways.

A unique appeal for moving walkways is that customers can take their carts with them while moving between floors. These rolling walkways act like escalators to move customers and their carts between levels. Shopping carts are equipped with unique wheels to lock to the walkway and then release at the top.

Like escalators, moving walkways require frequent inspection and maintenance. But, because they involve carts that are supposed to lock to the walkway and then release at the end of the trip, carts can malfunction, or the walkway can malfunction. Or, both can malfunction.

In any event, it is the property owner’s legal responsibility to provide safe premises for the customer. So liability claims will center on establishing fault on the part of the property owner, the maintenance and repair company, and the maker of the walkway and the carts.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you are a victim of someone’s carelessness, substandard medical care, a product defect, work injury, or another personal injury, please call (219) 736-9700 with your questions. You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at DavidHolubLaw.com – while there, make sure you request a copy of our book “Fighting for Truth.”