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If you’re a New Yorker, you know that the city is always under construction.
Although the New York Department of Buildings (DOB) has rigorous regulations that keep construction accidents to a minimum, these incidents are still commonplace by virtue of the sheer volume of construction in New York.
Some accidents can’t be avoided, but from time to time, builders do cut corners to increase profits and keep up with extensive demand. Unfortunately, this leads to serious or even deadly accidents that are tragically preventable.
For example, United Crane was recently fined by the New York DOB, and forced to close over 20 work sites after two suspicious accidents occurred over a three-month period.
Below we’re going to take a look at New York construction accidents, what makes them more likely, and what construction accident victims can do to pick up the pieces after these tragic occurrences.
New York is constantly under construction, and high-rise job sites in the chaotic environment of the city make accidents more likely. In fact, construction is now the deadliest job in New York City, and construction accidents, injuries and deaths are increasing.
For example, one construction worker was killed and two others were injured in a recent Long Island accident. The men had positioned cable guide wiring on a roadway when a pickup truck drove over the wire, which became caught up in the truck’s undercarriage, dragging the workers and overturning the truck.
Similarly, a New Jersey man was working on a construction site in Queens when a wall collapsed on him. He was rushed to St. John’s Hospital following the accident, where he died.
Many construction accidents can’t be prevented. However, some builders cut corners and disregard safety guidelines, greatly increasing the risk of an accident.
In July, a crane operator for United Crane lifted steel beams that exceeded the machine’s lifting capacity. This caused the cane’s boom to partially collapse. The operator lost control of the load, and it subsequently struck the side of an apartment building.
In April, United was involved in a fatal accident when a crane rigger was crushed to death by a crane counterweight. Another operator was injured in the incident. As the third construction death in the city that week, the accident prompted renewed calls for construction safety reform.
The New York DOB has fined United Crane $110,000 and ordered them to make safety changes. United was forced to halt work at over 20 sites across the city. Additionally, the company will be subject to increased oversight and possible further sanctions from the DOB.
Ultimately, a construction injury almost always leads to costly medical bills and lost wages, and more often than we’d like, the tragic loss of a loved one.
Although worker’s compensation is available to protect workers and their families from losses resulting from on-the-job injuries, sometimes the employer isn’t responsible.
In this case, the victim and family members may have no other option than to seek damages through a personal injury lawsuit.
With New York construction accidents are on the rise, it is more important than ever to be aware of your rights as a construction worker (and/or surviving family member).
Accident victims and their families have the right to seek damages to recover from the often-devastating losses of a construction accident. Anyone experiencing this type of loss should act promptly to maximize the chance of a successful lawsuit.
