Case Hinges on Basement Door Analysis

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Case Summary: Plaintiff was walking his child to school down a sidewalk lined with upward-opening basement doors. When he stepped on one of the basement doors, it collapsed into the stairwell, and he fell several feet into the basement.  Plaintiff sustained several injuries from the fall, including leg fractures and arm injuries, as well as multiple lacerations and contusions.  

Expert Analysis: The property owner replaced the basement doors and disposed of the failed doors and frame, before allowing an inspection.  This limited the review of the doors’ condition to the photographs taken after the incident. These photographs showed the door separated from the frame at the hinges, which were heavily corroded and had failed. The failed hinges were not the type commonly used on similar basement doors and were inconsistent with other basement doors in the area.  They appeared to be standard-style hinges used on swinging doors, welded to the exterior of the basement door and frame.  The original hinges that would be mounted on the interior of the basement doors were not visible in the available photographs.  The property owner and management company could not provide information on when the failed hinges were installed or when the doors were last inspected before this incident.

The available photographs and information acquired made it clear that the subject basement doors had been improperly repaired and not properly maintained before this incident.  As a result, they were poorly secured and incapable of supporting daily pedestrian traffic.  Additionally, while not an issue in the subject incident, the means used for the previous repair resulted in a trip hazard, as the replacement hinges protruded above the top of the door.

Result: The property owner and management company settled with Plaintiff prior to trial.