Construction workers are routinely involved in erecting or building structures as well as the demolition of a building/structure to bring it down. The process of demolition is integral to remodeling or renovation projects. Every day in New York City, as buildings are going up, many others are being torn down — to make room for more buildings in the future due to the surging demand for real estate.
Potential for Severe Injuries
As demolition occurs on various sites, it is also sadly common to see construction accidents and injuries associated with this activity. Demolition accidents have the potential to result in catastrophic injuries or even fatalities. Injuries sustained at a demolition site can lead to permanent injuries or disabilities, which means you may not be able to provide for your family and end up suffering the consequences of someone else’s negligence (carelessness).
If you are a construction worker in New York City who has been injured in a demolition accident, please remember that you have legal rights. In addition to workers’ compensation, you may also be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against a third party (other than your employer or co-employees) seeking compensation for your losses.
Common Types of Demolition Accidents
Construction companies and contractors have a duty and an obligation under the
law to make sure they perform demolition work in the safest manner possible. This might include taking a number of measures including planning out the demolition, performing a risk assessment on site, creating work teams and teams of supervisors and picking a reputable and reliable contractor to perform the demolition work. When proper planning and supervision is not carried out, serious injuries may occur.
Here are some of the most common types of accidents that seriously injure or kill workers during the demolition process:
Structural collapse: When buildings or structures collapse during demolition, workers can be injured or even killed if they are not properly trained, supervised or given protective gear. Such accidents may occur because the structure collapsed without warning or workers were not warned to leave the area before the demolition commenced. When a structure collapses, it may result in severe crushing injuries to victims.
Falls: When a building is being demolished, workers are at risk of falling through unstable floors or parts of the building such as elevator shafts, windows, holes, ladders or scaffolds. Falls cause a third of all construction-related fatalities, according to statistics posted by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Struck-by accidents: Workers on demolition projects also run the risk of getting struck by flying debris, cranes, tools and other machinery being used for the work. It is crucial that construction companies, contractors and other responsible parties safeguard the worksite against the hazards.
Electrocution and electrical injuries: Live wires or overhead power lines in a worksite can lead to electrocutions and electrical injuries during demolition. Electrocutions are one of the top four most common causes of deaths in the construction industry. These types of accidents can be prevented with proper planning and supervision that is crucial before any demolition.
Fires and explosions: Since explosives are commonly used in demolitions, there is the danger of fires and explosions especially when the demolition is not planned or done correctly. These types of accidents may result in burn injuries, smoke inhalation injuries and exposure to dangerous toxins and chemicals.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Injured construction workers can seek compensation benefits from their employers to cover medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, they can file a third-party claim against an entity or entities for substantial money damages and thus have two sources of compensation. Third-party claims are filed against the entity/entities (other than the employer and co-employees) who caused or contributed to the incident and the resulting injuries. Examples of third parties include some general contractors, sub-contractors, property owners, manufacturers of defective products, etc.
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