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Tag Archives: work accident

June 30, 2017 News
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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]

March 31, 2017 News
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Ambulance crash kills and injures after man tries to steal the vehicle

New York – City officials from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) report that one emergency medical technician (EMT) was killed and another injured on the job when someone tried to steal their ambulance. The horrific work accident started when a driver of a car alerted the driver of the ambulance to someone who was riding on the rear bumper of the vehicle. The crew stopped the ambulance and tried to chase the joy-rider off of the truck bumper. However, the man then jumped into the driver’s seat and tried to steal the ambulance. While the crew ran after him to try to regain control over the ambulance, the EMTs were pedestrians struck and hit by the ambulance. The female EMT was run over by the ambulance and suffered fatal injuries. She was treated for a traumatic cardiac arrest and rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead by emergency room doctors. Her partner also suffered injuries during the pedestrian collision and is expected to survive. Bystanders and responding police arrested the man who had tried stealing the ambulance. He has been criminally charged for the theft, murder and causing injuries to the EMTs. However, an injury attorney in Manhattan explains that the man can also face civil lawsuits from the injured worker EMT as well as a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of the EMT who was killed. See this article for more details about this ambulance worker accident.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Credit: Edwin Martinez [License]

November 15, 2016 News
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Two workers hit by a subway in Brooklyn train accident

New York — A Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway train accident injured one worker and killed a second victim in Brooklyn. The two transit workers were setting up warning lights to warn subway traffic into the Fort Hamilton station that construction and repair work was underway. The MTA uses these warning lights to signal train operators to slow down or stop. This safety system apparently failed when the workmen we struck by the train as it rounded a bend in the track. One of the MTA employees was injured in the work accident and taken to the hospital for care. However, the other laborer was killed in the train crash after suffering extensive and fatal injuries.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the collision to determine if any negligence may have caused the wrongful death. Union and work safety advocates note that more rigorous safety precautions are needed to protect workers as well as the public. They say that safety protocols must be reviewed and additional safety equipment should be issued to prevent future accidents or injury. Some have also pointed out that proper preventative maintenance is necessary to prevent an accident. Negligent maintenance has become an issue in many fast-paced workplace injuries according to specialists. To find out more about this workers comp injury please see this article.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Barry Pousman [License]

September 13, 2015 News
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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]

April 15, 2015 News
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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]

November 13, 2014 News
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Scaffold accident leaves 2 workers dangling from World Trade Center

New York – Rescue workers were sent racing to the scene of a work accident at the World Trade Center yesterday. Two window washers were suddenly left hanging hundreds of feet above the ground, along the outside of the office building, when the scaffold rig collapsed around them. The men reported feeling terrified as they struggled to stop themselves from falling onto the sidewalk below. They were taken to the hospital for evaluation in the emergency room after being rescued by firefighters. It appears that they did not suffer any physical injury but this will require additional time and follow up with doctors to determine conclusively. Trauma doctors do note that psychological injuries can also take time until they show themselves due to the nature of the incident. This latest work accident has industry experts concerned since this is not the first time that the same scaffold company was involved in a scaffold collapse. The previous incident occurred in 2007 when a worker was injured and another worker was killed. The injured worker suffered serious wounds and required extensive treatment. In that job accident, the same company had repaired and maintained the scaffold that broke away and sent the workers falling 47 stories from another Manhattan, NY building. Inspections of that rigging suggested that the dangerous equipment failure was due to a mistake in the crimping of the lines. Workplace safety specialists note that this error should have been picked up on by the employer prior to placing the workers into harm’s way. Activists fear that the same negligence may have been responsible for this week’s workplace accident. They note that work injuries are largely preventable if companies take their responsibility seriously and they maintain their equipment according to regulations. On the other hand, negligent maintenance can easily lead to catastrophic injury or wrongful death, as can be seen in these accidents. Read more about the investigation into the recent window washer accident and scaffold crash here.

Illustrative photo by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). [CC-BY-SA-4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

November 09, 2014 News
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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

September 03, 2014 News
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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

November 12, 2013 News
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Government may require companies to disclose workplace injury and illness info

The federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently trying to force large employers to report work-associated illnesses and on-the-job injuries in a new format. This would include digital reporting of the work accidents and diseases so that the information can be published online. Mandatory reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses is not new, rather it’s the goal of publicly posting this information on the internet that is new. At this time, only employers with more than 250 workers would be required to comply with this new safety campaign. Experienced workers comp lawyers in New York applaud this proposal, saying that it can provide employees with the essential knowledge of their boss’ safety record. This empowers the worker to demand better safety compliance and the possibility of protecting themselves from hazardous conditions at work. Some employees or even the general public may even choose to avoid working with a company with an extensive list of workplace accidents. Consumers may also discover that their own safety may be at risk when hiring a company prone to injuries or illness. The accident database could provide the average citizen and worker with the details they need and deserve to know, in order to protect themselves from corporations that sometimes are negligent when it comes to safety regulations. Job accidents can vary from a worker that falls from scaffolding or a ladder to a machine operator who’s hand gets crushed in the machine. Job-associated illnesses can include lung diseases such as asthma, COPD or pulmonary edema; cancers, like squamous cell carcinoma; musculoskeletal problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome; and chemical exposure at work, such as lead or gasses. This type of required reporting and posting of work-related illness and injury is also expected to prevent dangerous companies from denying a problem. Accountability and safety are expected to improve, according to public safety activists. See this article for more about the proposed injury and illness database.

Photo by U.S. Navy [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