Officials Say SoHo Scaffolding Collapse Was a Result of Contractor and Engineer Cutting Corners

 Officials say the recent scaffolding collapse in SoHo that left five people injured occurred because of a “perfect storm of incompetence.” According to ABC news article, the Department of Buildings has issued a report concluding that the collapse may have been easily prevented and that the contractor and engineer cut corners and almost cost several lives. When the sidewalk shed collapsed last November, the builder blamed Mother Nature and said high winds caused the collapse.

Five Injured in Collapse
The scaffold collapse occurred in lower Manhattan on Sunday, Nov. 19, trapping two people underneath a pile of debris and injured three others. FDNY officials at the time said the incident occurred when a strong gust of wind blew over the shed that was propping up the scaffold. The falling debris struck three pedestrians and two more were trapped inside.
The shed was described as a high structure with the windows about 20 feet tall. The scaffold was also about 20 feet high. The five injured victims were transported to a local hospital. They are all expected to survive. Neighbors said the shed seemed rickety and unstable right before it got blown off by the wind. It is not clear whether the scaffold or the shed holding up the scaffold were defectively constructed. The investigation is ongoing.
Substandard Construction
Now, New York City Department of Buildings officials say the builder constructed a substandard shed that lacked the necessary structural support to withstand winds. The Department of Buildings also found that the engineer submitted a poor shed design, and an agency spokesman added that the engineer is now forever prohibited from filing any future shed permits with the city. The engineer and contractor implicated in the SoHo shed collapse have partnered on 47 other sidewalk sheds.
City officials who inspected all of them found 73 safety violations, including one posing an immediate hazard. An expert told ABC that the engineer appeared to have used cookie-cutter design plans for one sidewalk shed after another. However, each plan must be specific to a site and one plan doesn’t fit all sites. An ABC investigation found that the engineer filed drawings for 700 different construction projects in New York City, most of them for sidewalk sheds. The engineer himself certified them as being “safe.” A city spokesman said there would be more enforcement actions taken against the parties involved once their investigation is completed.
Responsibility to Maintain Safe Conditions
There are hundreds of locations in New York City with sidewalk sheds and scaffolding. It’s a common sight in this city. While sidewalk sheds can be eyesores, they are necessary for construction projects. The city’s Department of Buildings recommends safety measures for property owners and/or property managers when high winds are gusting in the city – speeds 45 mph or higher.
In such conditions, property owners and/or property managers as well as contractors in charge of the project sites must consider the safety of their construction sites including cranes, scaffolding or any other building accessories that might come loose as a result of exposure to high winds. Builders, contractors, developers and other parties should take several steps including tying down and securing material at construction sites and securing netting, scaffolding and sidewalk sheds.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Scaffolding or sidewalk sheds that aren’t properly constructed or maintained may give way posing serious threats not only to construction workers at the site, but also passersby. Such collapses, as we saw in SoHo, could result in serious if not fatal injuries. In such cases, injured bystanders and pedestrians may be able to file a lawsuit against a number of parties including 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.
Whether you are a worker or a bystander who has been injured in a scaffolding 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.
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 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.
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Source: http://abc7ny.com/dob-collapsed-shed-that-hurt-5-a-result-of-cutting-corners/3008268/