A collapsing floor injured two workers at an office building in Midtown Manhattan — the same location where in 2019 portions of its façade had fallen onto the street and fatally injured an architect. According to an NBC New York news report, the construction accident at 729 Seventh Avenue happened the morning of March 14.
Accident During Demolition Work
Officials say part of the floor collapsed during active demolition work on the
building’s 18th floor causing the two victims to fall to the floor below. They were transported to area hospitals. The nature and extent of their injuries are not yet known. Fire officials have said there are no structural concerns with the building.
The New York City’s Department of Buildings (DOB) officials said the two men who were restoring the building’s façade were performing work that exceeded the scope of the permits issued. The DOB issued a stop-work order here and also issued violations to the contractors involved. Our thoughts and prayers are with the two injured workers. We wish them a speedy and full recovery.
The façade of this building was the cause of the December 2019 tragedy that fatally injured Erica Tishman, a prominent architect. The piece of falling terra cotta façade from 729 Seventh Avenue struck the 60-year-old Tishman in the head, killing her. Last December, the DOB filed Administrative Code charges in criminal court against the building owners. The DOB alleged that the owners failed to perform the required safety work. The building owners had previously said the work was in progress at the time of the accident.
Dangers Workers Face During Demolition Work
Demolition work refers to the dismantling or razing of any building or structure. While this type of activity is carried out routinely at construction sites, it frequently involves dealing with hazards that make it particularly dangerous. These hazards include:
• Changes from the structure’s design introduced during construction
• Approved or unapproved modifications that altered the original design
• Materials hidden in the structure such as lead, asbestos or heavy metals that require special handling
• Unknown weaknesses of construction materials
• Hazards created by the methods used to demolish the structure
To combat these, everyone at a demolition worksite must be made aware of the hazards they may encounter and safety gear must be provided to workers so they can protect themselves. Construction companies, building owners/managers etc. have a responsibility to provide fall protection as well as other personal protective equipment at no cost to workers. Workers should also be provided with training with regard to how to perform the work safely and how to use the protective equipment.
In demolition work, personal protective equipment may include eye, face, head, hand and foot protection; respiratory protection; hearing protection; personal fall arrest systems; and other protective gear, for example, that are necessary for cutting or welding operations. Some of the common causes of construction injuries that occur during demolition include:
• Getting struck by falling objects
• Falls from scaffolding
• Fires and explosions
• Falls from ladders
• Defective construction equipment
• Live wires that cause electrocution
• Lack of bracing protocol that leads to falls
• Toxic gases and chemical exposure
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you have been injured in a construction accident or in an accident while doing demolition work, in addition to workers’ comp, you may be able to file a third-party lawsuit for substantial money damages against a number of parties, and thus 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. 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.
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 and/or medical malpractice 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://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/slab-collapse-hurts-2-workers-at-midtown-building-where-architect-died-in-2019/3597701/