Pennsylvania readers who have visited New York City may be familiar with the long flights of stairs in most of the city’s subway stations. On Jan. 28, a young Connecticut mother fell down one of those stairways and was killed. Apparently, she was trying to carrying her baby in a stroller when she lost her footing.
The 22-year-old victim was discovered at the Seventh Avenue subway station near 53rd Street at around 8 p.m. Her baby was found safe nearby and was handed over to her father and grandmother. Investigators are working to determine her exact cause of death, but injuries from a fall are suspected.
The lack of elevators in New York subways has been a source of contention for decades. Of the city’s 472 stations, approximately 75 percent are not accessible to people in wheelchairs or others who may need an elevator, including people carrying strollers and luggage. In fact, in 2017, the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York filed two separate lawsuits against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for failing to install enough elevators, claiming that it is a violation of the New York City Human Rights Law and the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act. The suits are still making their way through the court system.
When someone dies as the result of negligence, the victim’s next of kin have the right to take legal action to recover damages. For example, by filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible party, a victim’s family could be awarded compensation for funeral and burial costs, loss of income, loss of companionship and more. A family could learn more about their legal options by speaking to a personal injury attorney.