A study in the April issue of Pediatrics reports that a child under the age of five will be treated in an emergency room somewhere in this country for a stairway-related injury an average of every six minutes. Sometimes these injuries occur in the home, but often they happen because a Pittsburgh area property owner did not provide adequate lighting, signage, or handrails on stairways. If your child has suffered an injury because of a negligent property owner, contact a personal injury lawyer in Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
According to the study, more than 925,000 children were treated for such stair-related injuries between 1999 and 2008. Of these, approximately 75% sustained a head or neck injury and three percent of those required hospitalization.
Dr. Sonika Bhatnagar, a University of Pittsburgh assistant professor and a pediatrician, encourages parents to be extra vigilant with their children around stairs to prevent injury. In addition, she stated that building codes need to allow wall-mounted gates on stairways to prevent children from having access to them. She also argued that all stairways should have handrails that enable easy gripping.
Unfortunately, not all stairways allow for wall-mounted gates. Furthermore, not all property owners in Pittsburgh are conscientious about ensuring that all stairways are well-lit and have properly installed easy-to-grip handrails. Sadly, this means that children and adults are at risk for personal injury whenever they attempt to maneuver one of these poorly designed or poorly maintained stairways. If an injury does occur on such stairs, the property owner could be held responsible.
If you have taken a fall down a stairway or suffered some other injury on another’s property, the only way to know if you have a legitimate personal injury case is to consult with an experienced and qualified personal injury lawyer in Pittsburgh. Your lawyer will be able to tell you if you have a viable case, and if you do, can help you to aggressively pursue the compensation to which you are due.
It is important to contact a personal injury lawyer in Pittsburgh as soon as possible after the accident so that timely evidence can be amassed. Many times after an accident, a property owner will make needed changes to the property so that it is safer. When your lawyer arrives to look at the scene, it will not be the same “scene” where the injury occurred.
Contact a personal injury lawyer in Pittsburgh if you or someone you care for has suffered a personal injury so that your lawyer can begin right away to pursue your case and get you the compensation you need and that you deserve.
