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Tag Archives: work injury

March 01, 2022 News
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Workers hit by a car in deadly hit-and-run accident in Nanuet

New York – Two workmen were injured on the job in a horrific car crash. The pedestrian accident occurred ‎when the driver of a car hit the pedestrians with his car while they were working. The workers were ‎collecting garbage when the driver struck the accident victims but then fled the scene of the collision. ‎One of the injured workers suffered critical injuries including a possible traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ‎was initially found to be unconscious by emergency responders. He was rushed to the hospital but ‎emergency procedures and care were not enough. The injury victim subsequently died of his wounds ‎in the hospital. The second work injury victim was also treated on the scene by medical personnel and ‎transferred to the emergency room for further care. Police report that they have since found the ‎driver that fled the scene after causing the accident. It is unclear whether speeding or drunk driving ‎were involved. Check out this article for more details about this hit-and-run car accident. ‎

Illustrative Photo by U.S. Navy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

February 13, 2022 News
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Redefining accidental injuries, fatalities and responsibility

An important but under-recognized movement has developed to truly improve ‎safety and prevent “accident injuries.” For way too long designers, manufacturers and society ‎leaders have ignored the well-known dangerous situations and hazardous conditions that exist ‎in the modern world. This sometimes manifests by poor road design, dangerous construction ‎site planning or manufacturing of faulty products. Once someone – or many people – have ‎been injured or were killed by poor design or negligent implementation, the people ‎responsible for the tragedy write it off as an “accident.” Many refuse to take any blame of ‎negligence and refuse to take the opportunity to declare a faulty product recall. More ‎importantly, they don’t make full efforts to redesign their product or re-do their design to ‎prevent further injury or death. It is no secret that some roads and highways are dangerous ‎and are more prone to car crash or pedestrian accidents. Likewise, some high-intensity ‎electrical products are known fire hazards. Yet others pose a serious risk of choking hazards or ‎other similar dangerous situations that need to be corrected. The concept of a wrongful death ‎lawsuit developed in an attempt to hold offending parties accountable for their actions or ‎even inactions. Personal injury lawsuits are likewise used as a tool to not only compensate ‎injury victims but to also create change in the world of those who design, develop and ‎manufacture consumer products or facilities.
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A recent book ‎was written about this topic, bringing to the forefront the idea of how to make necessary ‎changes before tragedy strikes. A top New York law firm has a long history of fighting for the rights of people ‎injured in a “car accident” that may not have actually been exactly just an accident after all. ‎This team has a tried a true history of fighting to change the reality and protect victims of faulty ‎products, work injury, slip and fall injury or even medical malpractice. The time has come to ‎make sure that designers, manufacturers and companies are held responsible for their actions.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Billie Grace Ward [License]

September 29, 2021 News
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Can construction companies convince New York to repeal essential work safety law?‎

New York – Labor laws are designed and passed to protect workers from work accident injuries. The ‎New York State Labor Law 240 is one such law that was written to prevent work-related injury by ‎requiring basic safety protocols and equipment for at-risk employees. Specifically, this so-called ‎‎“scaffold law” was an answer to a well-known and specific problem of construction accidents due to ‎hazardous conditions at work. However, some companies within the construction industry are ‎attempting to have lawmakers cancel the law in an effort for them to make more money. The goal and ‎specifics of the law were to require employers in construction companies to provide safety training ‎and equipment, such as harnesses, hard hat helmets, protective goggles and the like. The most ‎pressing of safety issues in construction sites is that of trip and fall accidents, especially a fall from a ‎height at work. These types of work accidents are common, especially in the dangerous confines of an ‎active construction zone.‎

When an employee reports that he fell at work or suffered some kind of on-the-job injury, the ‎employer should immediately investigate what went wrong that led to the work injury and what must ‎be done to prevent something similar in the future. Unfortunately, some bosses just care about ‎making money and simply refuse to buy expensive safety equipment. Others half-heartedly provide ‎some equipment but don’t provide the essential required training in the use and inspection of the ‎equipment. Many workers have complained that improper or negligent maintenance of safety ‎equipment is an even bigger problem than not providing the safety gear. They note that higher levels ‎of risk in dangerous situations may be taken while relying on the protection gear to operate properly. ‎However, when the gear breaks or malfunctions, the consequences can be devastating, including slip ‎and falls, head injury, spinal injury, nerve damage and even wrongful death. Read more about this ‎scaffold safety law as well as the attempts to cancel it here.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jnzl’s Photos [License]

July 13, 2021 News
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Injured worker in grocery store machinery accident

New York – Fire Department rescuers responded to a call for a man with his arm caught inside of a ‎meat grinder machine in a horrific accident. Witnesses say that the worker in the meat department was ‎operating the meat grinder when his shirt sleeve became caught by the machine. The machine then ‎pulled the man’s arm into the grinding machine by the entangled shirt. The first responder rescue ‎team had to disassemble the machine in order to extricate the work injury victim while medical ‎responders stabilized his condition to the best of their abilities. Paramedics explain that he suffered a ‎serious arm injury including lacerations of soft tissue and muscle as well as possible nerve damage and ‎laceration of blood vessels. In addition, there was concern regarding broken bones from the accident. ‎The injured accident victim was rushed to the emergency room trauma center for additional care. ‎Investigators are looking into whether proper training and safety gear was provided to the worker for ‎this specific machine. Also, machine maintenance records will need to be reviewed to ensure that ‎proper repairs were performed and preventative maintenance was up-to-date. Trauma and worker’s ‎compensation experts note that negligent maintenance can sometimes lead to similar devastating ‎accidents and injuries for workers. This article shares more details about this horrific work accident.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Chuck D [License]

November 30, 2020 News
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Scaffolding collapse injures workers on West Side of Manhattan

New York – Two window washers were injured on the job while working on the side of a skyscraper at Hudson Yards. Reports show that they were working on a scaffold when it apparently gave way and collapsed with the workers inside. According to responders the accident victims fell along with the scaffolding rig approximately twenty feet down and suffered a fall accident with injuries. It does not appear that the men slipped out of the rig but it is unclear if that is due to safety harness equipment that is standard issue for dangerous work at a height. Safety inspectors will also need to make sure that the workers were properly trained for the job and in the use of all legally required safety equipment and procedures. In addition, it is necessary to inspect the maintenance records for the scaffold equipment as well as the harnesses and safety devices. Negligent maintenance can easily lead to a scaffold collapse or construction accident and therefore proper maintenance records are needed in such situations. One injured worker was taken in serious condition to the trauma room of a close hospital while the other injury victim was taken to the emergency room in stable condition, both with unknown wounds. The work accident may be covered by worker’s compensation insurance coverage, however, this would require further investigation. This article explains more about this work injury.

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

October 22, 2020 News
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Police officer injured on the job during truck crash investigation

New York – A state police trooper suffered a serious work injury during a motor vehicle accident investigation. The injured policewoman was sitting in the driver’s seat of her police car when her car was rear-ended by an SUV truck. According to reports, the officer was on the scene of a prior truck accident, parked on the side of a highway and situated just behind the truck. The Chevy SUV driver apparently violated the New York “move over law” that instructs drivers to move over a full lane when emergency vehicles are operating on the shoulder or lane of a highway. This violation may constitute negligence or even reckless driving and can be grounds for a moving violation ticket as well as a personal injury lawsuit. Meanwhile, the injured worker cop was taken to the hospital for various injuries. These work injuries may very well leave this New York State trooper with significant permanent disability issues. On-the-job injuries are a common problem for all types of workers but these types of accidents are extremely serious when it comes to police officers involved in work injuries. Worker’s compensation, or worker’s comp, is supposed to cover work related accident injuries. However, some workers find it necessary to get the assistance of a specialized work injury lawyer in order to get the care and funds that they deserve. You can see this article for more about this officer’s job related car accident with injury.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Watershed Post [License]

July 19, 2020 News
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New York City construction accident injures and kills workers

New York – Several workers were injured on the job when a construction scaffolding accident sent debris slamming down onto the men. One of the injured workers suffered fatal injuries and died from his wounds at the hospital after doctors attempted to resuscitate him. The other work injury victims were also treated for their accident injuries according to authorities. The construction collapse seems to have occurred when a section of a wall or fencing fell from the rooftop of a building that was undergoing repairs. The facade had sections of scaffolding rigged to it when the falling debris hit the scaffold equipment and caused an equipment failure. Specifics of the mechanism of injury are still unclear. However, it is believed that either the men fell from the scaffold or that the falling metal, brick and concrete sections collapsed and crushed the workers. Further investigations into the cause and nature of this workplace accident with injuries will be necessary to prevent further wrongful death cases. At least two of the injured workmen have been noted to be in serious condition, with possible head injury, broken bones and possible internal organ damage and bleeding. Internal bleeding can sometimes be difficult to diagnose initially. Read up more about this work accident here.

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

May 04, 2020 News
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Police officers injured on the job in car crash

A car accident occurred on the highway leading to the Holland Tunnel approach into New York City. This set the scene for a subsequent car crash that injured several police officers. Reports show that responding police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as well as Jersey City police departments were at the scene of the initial car collision. They were taking care of the accident scene and injured driver when another vehicle lost control and hit a barrier. That vehicle then hit one of the policemen and a police car, causing multiple accident injuries. The pedestrian accident caused one officer to suffer with serious injuries and several other cops suffered injuries as well. It is unclear why the two accidents occurred but specialists explain that distracted drivers often cause secondary collisions like this. They note that drivers often concentrate on the initial accident scene and flashing emergency lights and lose control over their vehicle. This is one of the reasons that many states, including New York, have created “move over laws” that require drivers to move over an extra lane on the highway or roadway when possible. This allows police, EMTs, paramedics and fire fighters a safer work environment. The prevention of workplace accidents and a work injury in these types of environments is challenging but necessary. On the job injuries are usually covered by worker’s compensation insurance. However, these insurance coverages can often lack a fair process or control to patients over their healthcare. Some find it necessary to hire a workers comp lawyer to help them fight for their rights. You can read more about this work injury here.

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

March 27, 2020 News
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Coronavirus protection plan in the workplace :: Employer’s responsibility?

New York – Many people are concerned about their own health as well as that of the people around them during this coronavirus outbreak. A common question that comes up is, what is the responsibility of the employer during these perilous times? Can an employer require workers to come in to work? Should they? Some jobs are vital for society and the well being of everyone. However, other jobs are less so and this should be taken into consideration by a boss. The driving force in decision making should involve the health and well being of employees and customers, and not just money. Workers should be encouraged to work from home or at off times when the office or workplace is relatively empty. In addition, the workplace should be kept clean and disinfected on a very regular basis to avoid getting workers and customers sick. A central thought of employers during this time must be to prevent a work illness or work injury. This may mean that a company will need to work on setting up the employee with adequate work-at-home accommodations and allowances as needed. Employers and companies should ensure a safer environment by also sending home any worker who shows any signs of illness, such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath. The concept is similar to the requirement on employers to provide a safe and healthy work environment in general. For example, good lighting in an office or warehouse to prevent a trip and fall; proper safety equipment on a dangerous construction site; or constant diligence to avoid broken equipment from improper maintenance. In addition, employers should make reasonable efforts to educate their workers and staff on how to protect themselves at work. Systems should be set up by managers and bosses to prevent clumping of customers and workers to prevent spread of the disease. Clear signs and instructions as well as any necessary personal protection equipment and safe cleaning supplies should be made available to staff and customers to prevent a dangerous situation. You can see this article for more guidance on how to prevent getting sick from COVID-19 in the workplace.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Senado Federal [License]

March 11, 2019 News
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Construction accident injured worker in Nassau County

New York – A construction worker suffered traumatic amputations of his legs during a recent road construction accident. The injury victim was apparently hit by a falling object that made him fall into a hole during the job site accident. The work site was in the street near an intersection where heavy construction vehicles, including a backhoe, were being used to dig up a trench. The heavy object that fell and severed the hardhat worker’s legs was a metal plate according to witnesses. He then fell approximately 10 feet into a hole. First responders applied tourniquets and tried to control the bleeding. He was treated for shock and rushed to the hospital. Doctors were working on saving the injured man’s life while also trying to save his legs. Workplace safety experts will need to investigate the circumstances of this work injury to determine if proper safety equipment and protocols were in place or if there was even negligence involved. This article and video share further details about this workplace injury.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: marc falardeau [License]