Construction Worker Killed after Air Conditioner Falls on Him

A 38-year-old man was fatally injured in a New York construction accident after an industrial cooling unit fell on top of him. According to a report in the New York Daily News, the incident occurred at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. Workers were using a crane to lift the flatbed carrying a large cooling unit. The crew was attempting to hitch the flatbed to a truck cab, but failed to secure the cooling unit. The unit slid off the truck and fell on the worker who was guiding the crane operator. The victim, a Jersey City resident, died from his injuries. Two companies were involved in the project, officials said. Both the New York City Department of Buildings and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the incident.
Construction Accidents in New York
According to the New York City Department of Buildings, there were 128 construction accidents in 2011 and 152 construction-related injuries. Out of 4,206 worker fatalities in 2010 in private industry, 774 (18.7 percent) happened in construction, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The U.S. Department of Labor reported that there are close to 80 crane-related fatalities a year nationwide. A crane dropping an item was the most common reason for an injury or death.
Possible Accident Causes
When a fatal construction crane accident occurs, there are a number of questions that arise. What caused the load to fall off the crane? Were safety procedures being followed? Was the crane operator negligent? Was the load properly secured to the crane? Was there adequate supervision at the construction site? These and many other questions must be asked and answered in order to determine precisely who or what caused the incident.
Compensation Issues
Families of deceased workers can seek workers’ compensation benefits from the employer in such cases. In addition, they can file a third-party claim against a party other than an employer. Such parties include, but are not limited to, a general contractor, sub contractor, building owner or the manufacturer of a defective product, who may have caused or contributed to the incident.
If you or a loved one has 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. Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case settlements in New York in 2010. Please contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in 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 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: New York Daily News