New York City Subway: Mother Falls to Death in Station with No Elevator

In a recent accident, a young mother fell to her death in a Manhattan subway station.

The woman was pushing her 1-year old daughter in a stroller when she attempted to carry the baby with the stroller down the stairs. The subway station at Seventh Avenue and 52rd Street had no elevator to access the platform. The 22-year old mother was unconscious when emergency responders arrived, and she was later declared dead at the hospital.

Her daughter was conscious and treated at the scene, and later placed with family members.

At the time of this writing, the New York medical examiner has still not determined the cause of death in the absence of significant trauma. The victim may have had a pre-existing medical condition. Nevertheless, her death demonstrates the dangers of those subway stations that have no elevators for parents with babies or young children as well as for people with disabilities.

Much of New York’s Subway System is Inaccessible

Only about 25% of the 472 stations in the New York subway system have elevators. Due to emergency repairs, planned work and even capital replacement, often those elevators are out of service. In fact, a survey of the subway system showed that each elevator breaks down an average of 53 times a year.

After this tragic accident, Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for more accessibility in the subway system.

An active 2017 lawsuit against the transit authority described the subway system as one of the least accessible in the U.S. The suit, which was joined by the Justice Department last year, accuses the authority of violating the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). The plaintiffs in the case are represented by Disability Rights Advocates.

The investigation into this accident is continuing in an effort to determine if negligence may have played a part in this fatality.

We Can Help If You Have Been Injured in any Type of Accident

If you or a family member has been harmed by a defective product, car accident, truck accident, construction accident, slip and fall or any other type of personal injury, please contact StolzenbergCortelli, LLC Attorneys at Law immediately. Please call us for a free consultation. Attorneys Howard Stolzenberg and Terrence James Cortelli, personal injury attorneys in White Plains, Nyack and New York City, will fight to secure justice for you and your family. You can reach us at 800-494-0889 or contact us via the website.