Wheelchair Accidents

Not only are wheelchair accidents not unheard of, but they are actually preventable.

For example, there was a case where a man was struck going from one side to the other. The vehicle motorist should have been more careful to watch out for the man and his trusty aide; after all, they were pedestrians. Accidents in the wheelchair, however, can also occur because of other types of negligence.

We would love to hear that not one accident in a wheelchair has occurred. However, at any time, between 2 and 2.5 million Americans rely on their wheelchairs to help with mobility when they are impaired, which do not enable them to walk on foot.

The majority of these Americans, when involved in an accident in a wheelchair, unfortunately, will sustain injuries such as contusions, lacerations, and fractures.

Falls and tips are number one for the most typical injuries across all age categories.

Wheelchair accidents entail the following: overreaching; poor fit; unlocked brakes; unassisted transfers; sliding off; and tipping chair.

In the majority of cases, the wheelchair ill-fitted for an individual can result in some critical issues. 


Plenty of times, this is due to the seat not being deep enough, which can be due to the chair tipping over when a resident is leaning forward.

Many more wheelchair occupants will fail severely to rise from the wheelchair safely, which can pose more issues.

The occupants may not be supervised when they engage in certain activities, which can result in these individuals falling out of a wheelchair, and not being able to obtain the assistance necessary.

Individuals may make an attempt to get out of wheelchairs due to being uncomfortable from fatigue or pain; the individuals may become bored and lack engagement from other residents, or become confused and refuse to leave the chair.

Individuals of all genders, sizes, and ages, each year, are involved in wheelchair accidents; this is why it is crucial to target various reasons why these accidents occur, and see that the numbers diminish.

The following are several examples of the most typical malfunctions which may occur:

With defects in design, the wheelchair had a design that was flawed, and was dangerous unreasonably for use by the consumer.

The wheelchair was manufactured with defects, and not close to the design intended.

The wheelchair did not have suitable instructions, or warnings, which made the product unsafe.


Due to these particular defects, a manufacturer may be held liable if an injury, accident, or death occurred.

Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure that the products are manufactured safely.

Many wheelchairs are motorized and manufactured electrically these days, which means the occurrences of accidents may increase on a whole new level because of defects, and technology which we see on a daily basis.

A user of a wheelchair may have particular rights under product liability law.

An entity or individual, all the same, may be held liable in an accident, and found negligent to result in compensation due to sustained injuries.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.