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Tag Archives: construction accident

June 25, 2014 News
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Construction accident injures bystander on Manhattan street

New York – A woman was injured in a construction accident on a busy sidewalk in Manhattan. According to video evidence close to the accident scene, a woman bystander was struck in the leg by a saw blade that had flown off of a piece of construction machinery. It is still unclear how the accident occurred, with some witnesses reporting that the equipment broke while the saw was cutting a section of the roadway. The victim suffered a laceration and leg injury and then fell during the accident. Workers and other bystanders reported that the entire incident took place so quickly that it left everyone in shock. Some activists believe that the accident possibly occurred due to negligence. They attribute the accident and injuries to a combination of negligent maintenance of the machines along with lack of appropriate closing of the sidewalk and street. Officials say that the street was being dug up in order to fix a broken water main. However, safety codes normally say that dangerous construction sites must be sectioned off from pedestrian and vehicle traffic, as necessary, in order to prevent injury or death. Leaving a hazardous condition open to innocent bystanders See more about the work site accident along with a video here.

Illustrative photo by Ben Franske (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

April 18, 2014 News
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Construction scaffolding accident kills man in Manhattan

New York – A construction worker slipped and fell at a work site in the Midtown section of Manhattan. The victim died upon impact during the slip and fall accident after plummeting down approximately 13 stories. Work injury specialists have been in an uproar about the fatality due to multiple safety violations at the site. Investigations continue but witnesses have reported that the workman was not wearing a required safety harness while working on the scaffolding. Some also believe that the machinery and equipment were not properly secured and there were improper railings to protect the employees. Hardhat safety advocates warn that employers must make sure that all laws are followed, and not just during times of inspection by OSHA or the building department of the city. Construction accidents have high potential for more serious injuries and deaths according to experts and they note that negligence plays a big role in it. Many injured workers find it necessary to contact a worker’s comp lawyer in order to determine their rights and benefits. Employers and their workman’s compensation insurance companies are often responsible to pay not only for the medical bills but also for short- and long-term disability of the victim. However, a lawsuit case sometimes needs to be filed on behalf of an injured or sick worker due to disagreements regarding responsibility and employer neglect or carelessness. For more about the fall victim from the scaffold accident in New York City, check out this article.

Illustrative photo by Uploader. (Self-photographed) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

November 25, 2013 News
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Partial building collapse injures children in Brooklyn

New York – Two pedestrians were injured when a building’s outer wall collapsed on them yesterday. The accident occurred when heavy winds made the brick wall buckle and fall onto the sidewalk below. The young victims were left with lacerations and other unspecified wounds. They were rescued for emergency teams from the police and fire departments and taken to the hospital for treatment. The New York City buildings department explained that the owner of the building did not properly maintain the store front and therefore issued a ticket to the owner. Building safety falls under the jurisdiction of that department but it was unclear if the wall had been inspected by them prior to it falling onto the children. Negligent maintenance or neglect of public safety can easily lead to injuries or death, as can be seen from other recent building collapse cases. Besides improper maintenance, a building collapse can occur during construction, as occurred in this case in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

Public safety activists in New York insist that weak building structures can be found throughout the area and this needs to be addressed. They say that the owners, mayor’s office, building department and fire department each have a responsibility to inspect and condemn any building or facade that presents a dangerous situation for innocent bystanders. More importantly, these hazards should be fixed before another accident with injuries occurs from another building or wall collapse. You can read about yet another construction accident that killed a worker here. If you or someone you know was injured due to someone’s negligence, you have the right to speak to an injury lawyer for advice.

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

July 14, 2013 News
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Work accidents in New York cause injuries and concern

New York — Worker safety activists relate that a series of workplace injuries due to accidents have occurred over the past several days. One involved a crane accident that crashed into the roof of a house in a suburban area of Clarkstown. The worker was cutting and clearing a tree and the associated debris from the site when the accident struck. Construction and work safety investigators were looking into why the crane collapsed and fell onto the home. Meanwhile, the workman was being evaluated for accident injuries that may not have been immediately apparent. On the same day, another man was injured at work in an unrelated accident in Staten Island, NY. This worker suffered a broken leg when he fell into an open elevator shaft. Experts believe that the elevator accident may have occurred due to insufficient safety precautions at the construction site. Yet another construction accident took place in New York City, killing the worker according to the latest reports. In that work accident the victim suffered multiple crush injuries due to a falling section of pipe hit the man. According to investigators, the pipe fell off of a forklift and trapped the man underneath it for an unknown length of time. The man was treated for his injuries by emergency personnel but died of his traumatic wounds according to reports. Worker safety advocates warn that many work injuries can be avoided if proper precautions are set in place by employers. They express concern that some bosses try to cut corners on safety, equipment or training but end up leaving the employees at risk for serious injury or even death. If you or someone you know has been involved in a worker’s comp accident you may need the assistance of an injury lawyer with special expertise in this area of law. Find out more about how a top law firm specializing in accidents can help you, here.

Photo by Mark Ahsmann (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

June 18, 2013 News
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Traumatic head injury linked to long-term disability

Current research into concussion due to a head injury shows that the victim is much more likely to suffer in the future with degenerative brain problems. Medical research for centuries has acknowledged that head trauma victims commonly suffer with chronic memory loss and other cognitive injuries. However, this latest study shows that a concussion injury patient can also develop dementia or other degenerative brain disorders due to structural damage to the brain. This can leave the person who was hurt in an accident permanently disabled. Common causes of a concussion, also referred to as a mild traumatic brain injury, include a car crash, construction accident, pedestrian hit by a car or even a slip and fall accident. Some citizen activists as well as concerned doctors note that a new bicycle sharing program in New York City may lead to more head injuries and concussions. They have leveled concerns that the city should provide helmets when riders are using their bicycles in order to prevent more debilitating brain injuries. Accident specialist explain that a bicycle accident leaves the victim at significantly increased risk of injury or death due to lack of safety technology as would be found in a car. When a bicyclist is hit by a car, the wounded rider can be crushed by the car or even thrown into the air for several feet. The injury risk is even greater when the accident involves a bus or truck, as are commonly found on the streets of metropolitan New York. Some believe this is a significant liability and could constitute negligence if the administrators of the program know that riders don’t have reasonable access to safety equipment such as a helmet. They warn that making bicycles more accessible to the public comes with increased responsibility for their safety. Check out more on the latest research into post-concussion injuries here.

Photo by liz west from Boxborough, MA (MRIUploaded by Jacopo Werther) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons