Home Elevator Lawsuit

Multi-million dollar payouts and settlements have been awarded to children who were injured, crushed or killed in home elevator accidents.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting home elevator induced injury cases in all 50 states. If your child or loved one was injured in a home elevator accident, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: Custom Elevator & Cambridge Elevating Announce Recalls; 1 Death Reported

In September 2022, Cambridge Elevating and Custom Elevators separately announced recalls for thousands of residential elevators due to a risk of children becoming trapped and crushed to death.

The recall from Custom Elevator involves around 15,200 residential elevators that were made since 2003. In July 2021, a 7-year-old child died in a vacation home in North Carolina after being crushed by an elevator that was made by Custom Elevator and installed by a third-party installation company.

Cambridge Elevating also recalled about 1,700 residential elevators that were sold in the U.S. between 1991 and August 2022. The elevator models are Elmira and Heritage. No injuries were reported.

Residential Elevators Recalls 31,000 Home Elevators After Child Suffers Spinal Injury

In August 2022, Residential Elevators Inc. recalled about 31,000 home elevators after a child was crushed and suffered a serious spinal injury. The recall involves home elevator models Easy Rider, Horizon Lift, Luxury Lift, Luxury Lift Hydraulic, Luxury Lift Traction and RE, which were sold nationwide from 1986 through July 2022 for between $20,000 and $35,000.

69,000 Home Elevators Recalled for Deadly Risk to Children

In January 2022, three manufacturers recalled about 69,000 home elevators to install an inexpensive safety feature that will help prevent children from suffering horrific injuries and deaths when they are crushed by the elevator.

What is the Problem?

Home elevators are designed with two doors: an exterior door (called the “hoistway door”) that typically looks like any door in house, and an interior accordion-style door that is attached to the elevator car. The problem is that children can fit into the gap between the interior and exterior door.

How Do Children Get Trapped?

When the elevator is not in use, children can open the unlocked hoistway door and close it behind them. Hoistway doors are designed to automatically lock when the elevator is in use.

If a child is in the dangerous gap and the elevator is called to another floor, the hoistway door locks, trapping the child. Not even parents will be able to open it. Tragically, many children have been crushed to death, or suffered horrific injuries, when they were crushed by the moving elevator car.

ThyssenKrupp Home Elevator Lawsuit Filed After 1 Child Dies, 1 Severely Injured

In July 2021, the CPSC filed a lawsuit against ThyssenKrupp due to dangerous home elevators.

The action was prompted by three incidents:

2-year-old boy who was crushed to death after becoming trapped in the space between the interior and exterior door in 2017
3-year-old child left permanently disabled by a “catastrophic brain injury” on Christmas Eve in 2010
4-year-old child who hospitalized with a crush injury after falling to the basement and becoming pinned under the elevator in 2019

What is the Risk?

According to Acting Chairman Robert Adler:

“These injuries and deaths are ghastly. The gaps in residential elevators are truly a hidden hazard for homeowners, and for anyone who is visiting or renting a home with an elevator.”

Models include, but are not limited to: Chaparral, Destiny, LEV, LEV II, LEV II Builder, Rise, Volant, Windsor, Independence, and Flexi-Lift. The problem affects at least 16,800 home elevators manufactured and distributed by ThyssenKrupp or National Wheel-O-Vator through 2012.

Examples of Injuries and Deaths Linked to Home Elevators

In July 2021, a 7-year-old boy was crushed to death by an elevator at a vacation rental home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Fire officials said he got stuck in a gap between the doors and his neck was broken when the elevator moved to another floor.

On Thanksgiving Day in 2019, Kaleb R., a 4-year-old boy in Utah, nearly died when he was pinned under a home elevator at his grandparents’ house near Salt Lake City, Utah. Source: Washington Post.

$3 Million Settlement in Home Elevator Lawsuit

In 2003, Otis Elevator paid a $3 million settlement to the family of an 8-year-old boy who suffered severe head trauma and died when he got stuck in a gap between the doors and was crushed by the elevator.

List of Home Elevator Brand-Names

Custom Elevator
Cambridge Elevating
ThyssenKrupp
Wheel-O-Vator
Otis Elevator
Waupaca Elevator
CemcoLift Elevators
Bella Elevator
Residential Elevators Inc.
Symmetry IGD
Symmetry Hydraulic
Symmetry Winding Drum Elevators
Inclinator Elevator
Inclinator Winding Drum (450 – 1,000 lb.), Hydraulic Drive, Chain Drive, Traction Drive and Overhead Cable Drum
Savaria Elevators
Garaventa Elevators
Savaria / Garaventa Eclipse, Infinity, Kwiklift, MR and HR Elevators
And more

Bella Home Elevator Recall

In January 2022, Bella Elevator recalled about 10,500 Bella® home elevators manufactured from June 2009 to December 2021. Models include Symmetry IGD, Hydraulic, and Winding Drum Elevators.

Inclinator Home Elevator Recall

In January 2022, Inclinator Company recalled about 39,300 home elevators manufactured from January 1979 through December 2021. Models include: Winding Drum (450 – 1,000 lb.), Hydraulic Drive, Chain Drive, Traction Drive and Overhead Cable Drum.

Savaria and Garaventa Home Elevator Recall

In January 2022, Savaria recalled about 19,500 Savaria® and Garaventa® home elevators manufactured from January 1999 through December 2021. Models include: Eclipse, Infinity, Kwiklift, MR and HR. The model names are located on the elevators’ controllers.

Otis Elevator Recall

In December 2020, Otis Elevator Company recalled about 5,000 Otis home elevators manufactured before 2012 and CemcoLift home elevators purchased from 1999 to 2012.

Otis said it is aware of “at least four incidents involving an Otis or CemcoLift private residence elevator that resulted in a crushed spine and abdomen, fractured hip, broken arm and feet, and bruising to the face and chest,” according to the recall notice.

Do I have a Home Elevator Lawsuit?

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