s

Tag Archives: construction accident

Construction work accident in Queens leaves 6 injured workers

New York – A scaffolding collapse in the middle of a construction site in Long Island City, Queens caused mayhem this week. Six workers were injured during the construction accident and were rushed to the emergency room. Hospital officials confirmed that the accident victims suffered a back injury, possible broken bones and arm and leg injuries. Reports note that the workers were pouring concrete into wooden forms to create a floor when it collapsed. Concerned safety advocates explain that the owner and developer of the building may have been negligent in the management of the project. They note that the New York City’s buildings department placed an emergency stop order on the construction when they noticed several dangerous safety violations. It has been pointed out that the same work site has a history of multiple complaints filed with the Department of Buildings since the new owner took it over in 2015. More research will be needed to determine if, in fact, the developer had created a hazardous situation that placed the safety of his employees and the public at risk for injury. Employers are responsible to obtain worker’s compensation insurance in order to deal with these types of work accidents. However, this doesn’t absolve them of their duty to prevent accidents and avoid negligence. More details about this building collapse accident can be found here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Phillip Pessar [License]

Queens construction accident leaves injured worker with crush injuries

New York – Work crews were working at a construction site in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens when a heavy metal beam fell onto a worker. The crush victim suffered leg injuries, including multiple broken bones in his legs after being trapped under the metal beam. The heavy steal I-beam was being used as a hammer by a crane to drive metal supports into the ground when it fell. According to witnesses, the hammer beam was suspended by the crane’s cable that broke. Investigators are looking into the reason for this apparent equipment failure that caused the accident. Experts say that the crane and its cable may not have been properly rated to hold such a heavy object such as this seven ton beam. However, other possibilities include that negligent maintenance or safety inspections could have led to the catastrophic collapse and the hardhat worker’s subsequent crush injury. The injury victim was rescued from the work accident site and taken to Jamaica Hospital for emergency treatment. To find out more about this worker’s comp injury, see this article.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Credit: davocano [License]

$375,000 Labor Law Settlement -- Work Injury When Construction Worker Falls Off Ladder

New York — This 51-year-old construction accident victim suffered leg fractures and other personal injuries while at work. The work injury occurred when the worker fell from a ladder. With the assistance of the labor law and injury specialists at Morrison & Wagner, the injured worker received a settlement of $375,000 from the defendant.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Jay Gorman [License]

— — —

Labor law – fall from ladder – summary judgment on liability – tibia and fibula fractures with surgery (VerdictSearch)

Settlement Amount: $375,000

— — —

Court: New York Supreme, New York County, New York

Case Type: Construction – Labor Law, Scaffolds and Ladders

Date: March 5, 1999

Plaintiff Attorney(s):
Stuart Wagner; Morrison & Wagner

— — —

Facts:

The plaintiff, a 51-year-old laborer fell from a ladder on 1/11/95 while performing construction in Manhattan. The defendants owned and managed the building. The plaintiff was granted summary judgment against the defendant, pursuant to Labor Law § 240(1), and the defendant was granted summary judgment against Third-party defendant.

Injury:

Comminuted and impacted tibial fracture with lateral displacement; transverse fracture of the fibular shaft. The plaintiff underwent open reduction and internal fixation, external fixation, and a bone graft to the fibular fracture from the iliac bone crest.

Result:

This Labor Law action settled after jury selection for $375,000, plus the waiver of a $60,000 Workers’ Compensation lien.

Demonstrative evidence: Pltf. would have introduced photographs of injury; X-rays.

New York City construction accidents on the rise with inadequate safety

New York – Fast-paced building and renovation work in the city with a disproportionate increase in construction injuries and deaths has been noted recently. Worker safety experts explain that there has been a notable increase in the amount of construction but they fear that safety has fallen by the wayside. This can create a hazardous condition for workers as well as innocent passersby. Inspectors point to the fact that they have recorded many more construction deaths as well as worker injuries on construction sites. However, the statistics show that the accidents and injuries are not proportionate with the increased work volume. In addition, they note that many of the injured workers are undocumented laborers without proper worker’s comp insurance coverage by the employers. It has been suggested that this may point toward bosses pushing their employees to work too fast and not spend time and money on safety precautions. Regulations mandate employers to provide a safe work environment to ensure employee protection and to mitigate on-the-job dangers. Not doing so can make indicate a negligent employer with respect to the injury of a worker or bystander, and therefore liable for bodily injuries and wrongful death.

For an example of recent construction site disasters, see this article about a collapsed ceiling that hurt two workmen. You can also refer to this article about the rise in work injuries in New York building zones.

Illustrative Photo Credit: John Hoey [License]

New York City wall collapsed during deadly construction accident

New York – One workman was killed and two more workers were injured in a construction accident in Brooklyn a couple of weeks ago. The family of the killed worker report that he had often complained about the hazardous condition in and around the work site. The building was undergoing renovations and complaints have arisen surrounding the structural safety prior to the partial building collapse. The specific wall collapsed on top of the three construction workers while they were apparently not properly protected according to accepted safety standards and regulations. The injured victims were extricated by fire fighters and emergency rescuers, then rushed to the emergency room. Unfortunately, one of the workers died of multiple crush wounds with severe internal injuries. Doctors in the hospital explain that they performed all possible procedures but were unable to save his life. The remaining injury victims were treated for various work-related injuries and are expected to survive.

Construction safety specialists note that this accident is far from being the first in the city. They point to several other construction and work accidents and injuries, as discussed here. Activists warn that employers and contractors must be held accountable for not adhering to safety regulations and placing the health and lives of workers and bystanders at risk. You can also read about a recent elevator accident that killed a worker who fell several stories down an elevator shaft and died.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Martin Pettitt [License]

Multiple workers injured by construction accident in Manhattan

New York – Four demolition workmen suffered varying degrees of injuries during a work accident at the construction site where they were employed. Accounts from witnesses at the scene explain that the laborers were working on internal demolition in the building that had been undergoing extensive renovations. Heavy debris, possibly a section of a metal railing, came crashing down onto the workers, causing crush injuries. However, reports show that the men may have also suffered fall injuries after the construction debris knocked them down. Some reports noted that there was a partial building collapse that caused the accident. A large rescue force quickly arrived at the accident scene and extricated the four wounded victims, taking them to the emergency room for urgent treatment.

Investigations into the cause of the work accident are ongoing, with New York City building safety officials and OSHA investigators looking into the facts that led to the incident. Suspicions of unsafe work conditions have arisen due the history of the buildings department having shut down the very same worksite several times. Records show that the construction site had been deemed dangerous in those previous incidents but that no work injury had been reported prior to this. A statement from the owner of the building explained that there was, in fact, no building collapse and that a licensed construction site safety manager working there at the time of the accident. Find out more about this demolition accident and injured workers here.

Illustrative photo Credit: Luigi Rosa [License]

Dangerous construction accidents in New York investigated

New York – Construction injuries have, unfortunately, become an expected reality in the industry, according to work safety advocates. They say that employers sometimes shirk their responsibilities by not following safety codes and create a hazardous condition for their workers. One hardhat construction worker suffered a fall injury in the World Trade Center site when he fell from a scaffold to the ground, nearly 20 feet below. Witnesses contend that the work accident occurred because the shoring equipment was unstable and no ladder was provided by the construction company. They note that the scaffold tipped over and collapsed, causing the worker to suffer a spinal injury with back pain, fractures and a permanent disability. The man’s injuries also included broken ribs and a head injury according to doctors. Accusations against various construction companies and contractors have since arisen, claiming that employers have tried to cover up accidents and injuries. Workers have reported that bosses have ordered the clean-up of the site of a construction injury in order to hide evidence of negligence. In addition, investigations have shown that employers have been known to avoid reporting workplace accidents, with as many as 34 serious on-the-job injuries going unreported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency tasked with ensuring work safety. These accidents have been documented to have caused hips fractures, broken bones as well as neck and back injury. Worksite safety activists explain that these employers may have been trying to avoid negligence lawsuits and worker’s compensation injury claims while ignoring the damage they caused to the lives and families of the injured workers. Read details about the investigations into the unreported occupational worker’s comp injuries here.

Illustrative photo by Saberwolf116 at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Falling debris from Manhattan, New York building injures pedestrians

New York – Two pedestrian bystanders were injured in a construction accident in Midtown Manhattan yesterday. Workers on a scaffold above the sidewalk apparently dropped a piece of metal onto the heads of the victims below. The accident victims suffered a head injury and a neck injury and were rushed by ambulance to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. According to witnesses, the metal debris was a piece of a sign and came down with enough force to bend it.

Trauma doctors explain that this type of accident can cause a range of concerning injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, lacerations, and spinal injuries. They note that even a relatively light piece of debris can cause serious injury or even permanent disability when it comes crashing down from a height. Psychological injuries can also be found in victims of this type of accident. Some of these injuries, such as a post concussion disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or an adjustment disorder can be latent and only come out days, weeks or even months later. Similarly, some neck and back injuries can take time until they fully show themselves. Patients who suffer an injury like this are advised to seek medical evaluation at a hospital, or at least with their primary medical doctor as soon as possible. Reports show that the construction company and/or contractors on the job will be issued a summons and fine for not properly protecting the public’s safety in this work accident. For more details about this falling debris accident and the injured pedestrian, read this article.

Illustrative photo by Oregon Department of Transportation (Cleaning detailUploaded by Smallman12q) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Construction accident injures worker in New York City subway tunnel

New York – Fire department rescue teams were sent racing to the scene of a construction accident in Manhattan according to reports. Witnesses say that an injured worker had to be extricated from an Upper East Side subway tunnel that was being built for the Second Avenue subway line. Officials explain that the worker suffered a leg injury when a heavy piece of equipment fell on him after breaking loose. He was unable to move on his own due to the seriousness of the accident injuries and a crane was used to lower firefighters down to help. Rescue teams began treating his wounds while he was lifted out of the construction site and transported to an emergency trauma room of a nearby hospital. The cause of the construction injury is still unclear and investigators were looking into why the object fell on the worker. Work safety activists say that it is important for employers to provide proper training and safety gear to their employees. It is also necessary to secure machines and equipment properly in order to avoid work accidents. Investigators will need to determine if all applicable laws and regulations regarding safe work site practices were being observed at the time of the accident. To find out more about this subway accident and work injury, check out this article.

Illustrative photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (“Weekend Work 2012-08-13 01″Uploaded by tm) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Heavy glass window falls, injures 3 in Manhattan construction accident

New York – A workman and two pedestrians were injured on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk this past Thursday. The wounded victims were hit by large broken pieces of a glass window that crashed down from an office building above. According to investigators, it all started with a construction accident inside the building that was undergoing renovation work at the time. Workers were hard at work when either a piece of machinery or scaffolding apparently crashed into the window, cracking it and sending heavy chunks of glass slamming onto the sidewalk below. One of the injury victims was a worker who was taken to the hospital for treatment of an unknown leg injury. At least one of the injured bystanders had suffered a head injury according to witnesses of the pedestrian accident. She was also taken by ambulance to the trauma department of a nearby emergency room for emergency treatment.
Public safety advocates have explained that the accident requires further investigation to determine if all necessary precautions were taken by the construction company to ensure the safety of the area. This includes worker safety to prevent a work injury as well as an accident that endangers the health and lives of bystanders. Officials say that laws and regulations are in place to prevent injuries and deaths from these types of preventable accidents. However, some have complained that workers and employers take dangerous shortcuts all too often, leaving innocent civilians at risk for serious injuries or wrongful death. Some activists report that particular construction bosses and workers have been guilty of outright negligence that led to an accident. It usually falls upon the buildings department and agencies such as OSHA to monitor worksites and prevent these types of accidents. See more about this construction injury here.

Photo by Borofkin (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons