Injury Reported
An FDNY spokesperson said the injured woman was transported to an area hospital. A representative from a scaffolding company arrived at the scene to inspect the damage. The office building was constructed in 1928 and according to the New York City Department of Buildings its exterior was made of cast stone, masonry and terra cotta.
A partial stop work order exists on the building. An inspection filed in October 2022 categorized the exterior facade as “unsafe” and listed a number of cracks in the masonry and terra cotta. All facade repairs were required to be made by June 2024. The condition of the injured woman is not known. We wish her the very best for a quick and full recovery.
Danger of Weak Facades
These types of facade failures are a risk, particularly with older buildings. It is the responsibility of building owners and managers, etc. to make sure that facades and buildings are routinely inspected and maintained as required by city codes. New York City buildings six stories or higher must have their facades inspected once every five years under city laws.
The New York City Department of Buildings increased penalties and required additional close-up inspections of exterior walls as well as additional qualifications for inspectors after a 2019 facade collapse that killed a 60-year-old woman. While the city’s Facade Inspection and Safety Program requirement for the five year inspection only applies to buildings six stories or higher, city officials state that owners of smaller buildings are also required to keep their properties in good condition, or face penalties.
When portions of the facade become unstable, landlords (building owners) and other responsible parties should work to repair them right away and construct sidewalk sheds, nets, or scaffolding to prevent the unstable parts of the facade from injuring passersby. Such accidents have the potential to cause major, if not catastrophic or even fatal injuries.
Liability Issues
General construction companies, managing agents, building owners, some contractors and sub-contractors have a responsibility to ensure that facades, scaffolds and other structures at a construction site are properly secured so they don’t pose a danger to workers, visitors or pedestrians at or near the worksite. If you have been injured as the result of poorly maintained or poorly secured facades, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for your losses.
In such cases, injured bystanders or passersby can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injury, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for damages such as lost future income, funeral costs, medical expenses, pain and suffering, etc. Liable parties may include construction companies, general contractors, sub-contractors, property or building owners/managers, manufacturers of defective products, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a facade collapse or building collapse, 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.
For over 51 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. 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://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/02/08/heavy-stone-falls-from-brooklyn-office-tower-one-injured/