I have over 100 cases of residential garage door injuries under my belt. The plaintiffs and defendants retain me almost equally for the role as door expert. Each claim receives a neutral and impartial assessment. Visit our website and learn more about Rainbow Door Service & Repair .

Articles like the one below are based on common claims. After reviewing a few of the more recent, resolved lawsuits, this article has been written to try to offer some useful information for those who may be considering litigation. The shortness of this article makes it difficult to discuss every aspect, variation or nuance regarding garage door injuries. In this article, the cases that were discussed are from multiple claims of a similar nature. My office is repeatedly contacted with the same types of garage door injuries. In my office, it is common to see multiple cases with the same circumstances. There is a good chance that, if you are a lawyer considering taking an injury garage case on your client’s behalf, I will have experience dealing with similar situations.

Damages to garage doors in relation to rental properties

Most injuries attributed to garage door use are toes or fingers. The majority of these types of amputations are caused by garage doors, and I’ve seen this in my role as an expert on the subject.

Who’s responsible? Why is there such a high number of claims for rental property?

The landlord fails to conduct a thorough inspection of the entire rental property, either prior to the start or the duration of the tenancy.
The landlord is unaware of or does not care about the state of the garage. A property that was bought to be torn apart for development in the future has been delayed by current conditions.
The house was left to the new owners by elderly relatives. New owners were not professionals landlords. They never considered that there was anything wrong with the property.
The landlord was unwilling to spend money on the replacement door because the tenant only used the garage as a place to store goods and not to park vehicles.
This door is missing safety features that are current and compliant, or the appropriate hardware like an exterior handle for moving it up or down.
Cost-related reasons for improper maintenance or neglecting to maintain equipment.
You can rent an apartment for a low monthly rate under section 8 of the Housing Act.
Garage door damage caused by tenants who have misused the garage door.
Parents are not supervising their children.
No electric bill paid by the tenant and door opener not functioning.
Cost is a factor in the decision to not perform maintenance.
Management companies that provide unqualified workers with inadequate training and skills.

Garage doors need to be correctly balanced for safe operation

As a result, many fingers and toes were amputated as the garage door was not properly balanced. The cases often result from limited contact with a sectional or one-panel door that is rarely used. My firm has been called in to handle many cases when a resident had lived there for years, and only opened the doors a handful of times.

The door has also slammed down, crushing fingers and toes. In other claims, tenants have had their fingers crushed or severed and even hands crushed in between sections as a garage door descends rapidly due to improperly tensioned springs.