New York City has cited a construction contractor for the Hell’s Kitchen crane fire that occurred back in July. According to records obtained by CBS New York, the contractor could be forced to pay a $25,000 penalty. Inspectors with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) say the construction company failed to safeguard the entire construction site.
Nearly two months after the fire, work has begun to remove what is left of the massive crane. A fire caused by a hydraulic fluid leak in the engine compartment of the crane heated a cable suspending the crane’s jib, causing a partial collapse. The crane accident left 12 people injured including three firefighters. Fortunately, none of the victims suffered critical injuries.
Ongoing Crane Accident Investigation
Buildings inspectors told CBS New York that they served a violation notice late last month to the general contractor. The violation notice does not go into too many specifics. But CBS New York reports that the notice says the company failed to safeguard “all persons and property affected by the construction operations.”
Department of Buildings officials told CBS New York that it is the responsibility of the general contractor on a project to safeguard against incidents such as fires. The city is still investigating the cause of the fire, but the violation notice blames a hydraulic leak. City officials also say they are investigating the crane operator and other people involved. A hearing in November has been scheduled in connection with the violation.
Construction Accidents and Fatalities
According the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), between 2011 and 2017, there were 297 total crane-related deaths — an average of 42 per year over this seven-year period. Men accounted for 293 of the 297 fatal injuries involving cranes. White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 72% of the fatal injuries involving cranes while Hispanic and Latino workers accounted for 15% of these fatalities.
Just over half of all fatal crane injuries involved the worker being struck by an object or equipment. About three-fifths of these cases (91 of 154) involved the worker being struck by a falling object or equipment; in 79 of these cases, the worker was struck by an object falling from or put in motion by a crane. Also, from 2011 to 2017, 43 percent of fatal work injuries involving cranes took place in the private construction industry.
City officials have been cracking down recently on contractors and construction companies that disregard safety laws in worksites. In June 2021, DOB officials shut down more than 300 construction sites after inspectors found glaring safety violations. News outlets reported that the department shut down 322 sites, more than a third of which were in Brooklyn, following a massive safety sweep. So far, seven workers have been killed in construction site accidents just in 2021, including three in the month of May alone.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Crane collapse accidents can result in catastrophic or even fatal injuries not only for construction workers, but also passersby.
Workers who have been injured in crane accidents may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits, which covers medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, workers may also be able to file a third-party claim against a negligent (careless) party other than the employer or co-employees for significant monetary damages and have two sources of compensation available for their losses. Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, crane operator, construction companies, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents 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 who may be held liable for the fatal 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, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For over 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses.
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, 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://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/cbs-new-york-investigates-monadnock-construction-cited-by-nyc-in-july-crane-fire-in-hells-kitchen/