A worker was killed and five others were injured in a deadly construction accident in the Bronx after a building that was under construction collapsed. According to a CBS news report, the incident occurred in a construction site at 94 E. 208th St. in the Norwood section of the borough late morning on Aug. 27. Firefighters said a part of the structure came crashing down on workers just before noon, crushing one man to death and seriously injuring at least two others.
Structural Collapse
FDNY officials said the crew appeared to have been working on the second floor of the building when the collapse occurred. They were trapped in the material that fell from the third floor on to the second floor, officials said. A worker who was freed from the debris succumbed to his injuries later. Two workers suffered serious injuries and three others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators from the New York City Department of Buildings were on the scene soon after the accident. City records show that workers were building a new four-story residential building with eight units at that location. Firefighters said it was treacherous for them to complete the rescues because they were concerned about the potential for another collapse.
The New York Times reported that seven members of a family, all immigrants from Ecuador, were working at the construction site where the collapse occurred. One of the members of that family was the 48-year-old worker who was crushed to death. Two other relatives were seriously injured. Family members said the worker who suffered fatal injuries had been carrying heavy building material up to the third floor when the structure suddenly collapsed.
Immigrant Workers and Safety Issues
In 2017, construction workers accounted for only 4 percent of the national workforce, but made up 19 percent of the worker fatalities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction work has been particularly treacherous for New York’s large immigrant labor force. For workers who are immigrants and not union members, the risks are even higher.
In 2017, Latino workers made up only 10 percent of the state’s workforce, but accounted for nearly 20 percent of worker fatalities, according to a report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker safety advocacy group. The same report also pointed out that 92 percent of construction workers who died on private construction sites in New York City did not belong to a union.
Safety advocates have long maintained that lack of proper safety training for construction workers is contributing to these tragic fatalities. In May, the New York City Council voted to extend a law requiring employees to complete 40 hours of safety training. But, advocates say, the law is not being properly implemented or enforced
Compensation for Injured Workers
Workers who are injured in construction accidents may be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits, which typically cover medical and drug expenses and a portion of lost wages. Families that have lost loved ones in a construction accident may be able to seek death benefits. 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. Workers are entitled to compensation even if they are undocumented.
Third-party claims are typically filed against parties other than the employer or co-employees and may include general contractors, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents, construction companies, etc. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitative treatment, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
Contacting an NYC Construction Accident Attorney
If you have suffered injuries 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
Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/nyregion/bronx-building-collapse.html
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/08/27/worker-killed-5-others-injured-when-building-under-construction-collapses-in-the-bronx/