A 47-year-old worker suffered fatal injuries after he was crushed by a bucket on an excavator. According to news reports, the incident occurred when the worker was welding the bucket at a recycling plant in the South Bronx and it fell on him. The bucket weighed at least 2,000 pounds, officials said. A co-worker called 911, but medics pronounced the worker dead at the scene. It was not immediately clear what caused the bucket to collapse and fall. The NYPD is investigating the incident. The victim who was a Guatemalan native was wearing a hardhat at the time, authorities said.
NYC Construction Accident Deaths
This fatality is the latest in a string of deadly construction accidents in New York City. Back in April, three construction workers died within a single week. On April 18, a 51-year-old worker was killed by falling debris as he was carrying out façade repairs at an apartment building on Manhattan’s East Side. On April 10, a 23-year-old man who was working on the roof of a 13-story building in Brooklyn fell to his death. On April 13, a 34-year-old man was crushed by the counterweight of a crane in SoHo.
New York City has seen a robust construction market over the past several years. But safety advocates say the number of construction accident fatalities and injuries have also been extremely high. According to city data, worksite deaths are up 33 percent compared to five years ago. Worksite injuries are up a staggering 221 percent in that same time span.
A report released in January states that 69 construction workers died statewide in 2017 including 20 in New York City. The construction death rate in the state has increased 39 percent in the past five years. Falls are the leading cause of construction worker deaths, accounting for 49 percent of fatal injuries statewide and 46 percent in the city over the past 10 years. The report also notes that 86.7 percent of fatalities statewide in 2017 involved nonunion workers, while that percentage was 92.9 in the city.
Protecting Workers
Construction companies, contractors, building owners, property owners, property managers etc., have a responsibility to ensure worker safety. Workers must not only be provided with job and safety training in a language they can comprehend, but also with personal protective equipment such as fall safety devices (harnesses, safety nets, guardrails, etc.), goggles for eye protection, ear protection, steel-toed boots, hard hats, etc.
New York City’s construction workforce including ironworkers, steelworkers, carpenters, masons, laborers, electricians etc. is largely immigrant. Many of these workers are also undocumented. It is important for undocumented workers and their families to understand that they too are entitled to protective gear and safety measures at work just like any citizen. They are also entitled to compensation when they suffer injuries on the job. An experienced New York City construction accident lawyer will be able to guide victims through what can be a complex legal process and help them seek maximum compensation for their tremendous losses.
Contacting an Experienced Construction Accident Lawyer
Workers who are injured in construction accidents will be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits, which typically cover medical and drug expenses and a portion of lost wages. Families of workers who are fatally injured on the job can seek death benefits as well. In addition, workers and their families may be able to file a third-party lawsuit for substantial money damages against a number of parties, and therefore have two sources of compensation. Third-party claims are filed against parties other than the employer or co-employees and may include general contractors, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents, construction companies, etc.
If you have been injured in a construction accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker (an undocumented immigrant) who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case settlements in New York that year. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Construction-Worker-Killed-by-Falling-Excavator-Bucket-Police-South-Bronx-512686031.html