Designers created garage doors to provide both convenience and protection, enabling people to park their cars in a location that is easily accessible, yet safe and secure. Nevertheless, due to their sheer size and weight, garage doors can pose a significant safety hazard.
Consider this: in the average American house, the garage door is one of the heaviest moving parts, weighing in at anywhere from 300 to 600 pounds. This heavy metal sheet is hoisted several times a day onto two metal rails up to a height of about 10 feet to allow entry and lowered onto those same rails to seal the entrance. A single device attached to the roof of the garage powers all the movement, operating it by remote control. If any of these components were to fail or malfunction, several hundred pounds of metal would come crashing down on anything and anyone standing under it at the moment.
What actions can you take to protect your family from garage door-related accidents? To begin with, everyone should develop safe habits. Never walk or stand under a moving garage door. Don’t play with the garage door opener. Don’t tinker with, deform, or destroy any part of the door mechanism.
Federal law requires garage doors produced after 1993 to have a safety feature installed that automatically reverses the movement of the door if it hits any object while closing. While this feature is useful, do not rely solely on it. Furthermore, be sure to test the functionality of this safety device often to ensure that it is working properly.
If a faulty garage door has injured you or someone in your family, you may have a claim against the people or company responsible. Contact Habush Habush & Rottier, our attorneys are here to help you.