A worker, identified as Wilbert Drummond, was killed in a construction accident after a fall at the site of JPMorgan Chase’s in-progress headquarters in Midtown East. According to a report in The Real Deal, Drummond was on the 12th floor at 270 Park Avenue doing carpentry work when he lost his balance and plummeted 20 feet down a hole. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ongoing Construction Accident Investigation
After the incident, construction was paused at the site and an investigation was launched by the New York Department of Buildings (DOB). The agency briefly lifted the stop-work order at the site to allow the project’s general contractor to perform safety-related measures. The investigation into Drummond’s death is still ongoing. We offer our deepest condolences to Drummond’s family members. The New York City District of Carpenters issued a statement saying Drummond was a 25-year member of the union who worked for a subcontractor that was doing core and shell work at the Park Avenue tower.
This is the second construction fatality to occur this year in New York City. Earlier in March, a 64-year-old man doing demolition work at a site in Chinatown was killed when a likely overloaded floor caved and caused a wall to collapse. Three other workers were injured in that incident. Also, in March, a contractor was convicted in the September 2018 death of a worker at a Sunset Park site. Luis Sanchez Almonte was killed when 15,000 pounds of debris fell on him.
New York’s Scaffolding Law
Many construction workers in New York City such as ironworkers, steelworkers, carpenters, masons, bricklayers, painters, window washers, and electricians etc. carry out their jobs while on scaffolds, ladders, platforms, etc. New York’s Scaffolding Law (Section 240 of the New York Labor Law) requires contractors, owners and their agents to provide the necessary equipment such as scaffolds, ladders, hoists, stays, irons, ropes, blocks braces and other devices to keep workers safe from fall-related accidents. Since this law was enacted in the early part of the 20th century, workers injured in scaffolding accidents have had the ability to bring civil actions against the contractor and property owner/managing agent responsible for the safety of the jobsite.
Accidents involving falls from elevations, ladders and scaffolds can result in catastrophic injuries or even fatalities. Workers who fall off scaffolds may suffer devastating head injuries, multiple broken bones or even paralysis as a result of spinal cord trauma. Victims may not be able to return to their jobs for an extended period of time. Some workers who suffer these types of injuries may never be able to return to the jobsite or earn a future livelihood.
Compensation for Workers
Workers who have been injured in fall-related accidents may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits, which covers medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, workers may also be able to file a third-party claim against a negligent (careless) party other than the employer or co-employees for significant monetary damages and have two sources of compensation available for their losses.
Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, construction companies, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents etc. In cases where a worker dies from injuries suffered on the job, surviving family members may seek death benefits through workers’ compensation and/or file a wrongful death claim against a third party that is found responsible for the fatal incident.
Contacting a Construction Accident Lawyer
If you have suffered injuries in a construction-related 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. Our law firm also recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft. 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, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously 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://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/03/27/construction-worker-killed-in-fall-at-jpmorgan-chase-hq-site/