8 football fans who were injured when an escalator malfunctioned at Giants Stadium 4 years ago reached a personal injury settlement with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, who agreed Thursday to pay them $2 million in order to prevent the lawsuit from going to court. The plaintiffs, all of whom suffered severe personal injuries as the result of the escalator malfunction, claimed that the NJSEA was culpable for the accident because it did not properly control the crowd leaving the stadium, and the subsequent overcrowding caused the escalator to malfunction. Schindler Elevator Corp., who maintained the escalator, also settled in the case.
The fans who filed the lawsuit were exiting Meadowlands Stadium – which has since been demolished – after the Giants lost to the New England Patriots on December 29th, 2007 in the final game of the regular season. According to their allegations, as they exited the stadium via a 121-foot long, 60-foot high escalator, it sped up without warning, throwing riders forward and creating a pile-up at the bottom. The plaintiffs allege that in the chaotic scene that followed, some of the escalator steps became dislodged, trapping several peoples legs in the gears.
Many of the injury victims of this frightening escalator accident suffered severe injuries, none more so than plaintiff Michael Harris. After undergoing multiple surgeries on his mangled foot, Harris had to have his right leg amputated below the knee. Joseph Capuano, another plaintiff who suffered a serious personal injury in the escalator accident – his right foot was crushed between the dislodged steps and the floor – has since undergone 17 different surgeries and paid $899,000 for those surgeries, according to his attorney.
Accidents like this require the best legal representation possible, and our New York City personal injury law firm will provide just that. If you’ve suffered a personal injury as the result of escalator accident, or any kind of accident, contact our New York accident lawyers so that we can fight to win you just compensation.