Suspected Drunk Driver Injures Construction Worker in Staten Island

 A suspected drunk driver crashed into a construction worker before swerving out of control and landing his vehicle sideways in a ditch. According to a news report in the New York Post, the 28-year-old man was northbound on Hylan Boulevard when he suddenly veered into a construction zone ramming into a 37-year-old worker. The injured worker suffered two fractured legs. He was transported to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
Police said the driver blew 0.163 on a Breathalyzer test, which is twice the legal limit for driving. He was arrested and charged with vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. Our thoughts and prayers are with the construction worker who has been seriously injured.

Construction Workers at Risk
Workers engaged in construction activity near highways and streets are at risk of injury or death due to collisions with motorists, construction vehicles and equipment, etc. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), each year more than 100 workers are killed and over 20,000 are injured in the highway and street construction industry.
Vehicles and equipment operating in and around the work zone are involved in over half of the worker fatalities in the construction industry. There are a number of reasons these types of accidents occur including, but not limited to, drunk drivers, distracted motorists, drivers who speed or operate in a reckless manner, drowsy drivers, etc.
Under New York law, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. It is also against the law to operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 32 percent of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated driver or pedestrian.
Alcohol and/or drugs and driving can become a fatal combination. Driving requires a person’s attentiveness and the ability to make quick decisions on the road, to react to changes in the environment and execute specific, often difficult maneuvers behind the wheel. Drinking or using drugs takes away or reduces these abilities from drivers.
Potential for Disabling Injuries
When vehicles strike people, whether pedestrians or construction workers who are working near a roadway, the consequences can be devastating. Workers suffer severe traumatic injuries such as brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, multiple broken bones (as the worker at the Staten Island site did) and internal organ damage. These are types of injuries that may result in permanent injuries or disabilities.
For example, when a worker sustains head injuries, he might have to spend a significant amount of time in rehabilitation. Even that might not lead to a full recovery. In this particular case, in Staten Island, the worker suffered fractures in both legs. This type of an injury could keep workers away from their jobs and livelihood for a significant amount of time. Sometimes, they are unable to return because they are permanently disabled.
Seeking Compensation for Damages
Injured victims of construction accidents can seek workers’ compensation benefits, which help pay medical expenses and a portion of their lost wages. In addition, a worker may be able to file a third-party claim against negligent parties other than the employer or a co-employee for significant monetary damages and have two sources of compensation available for his or her losses. Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, construction companies, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents etc.
In cases where negligent drivers strike construction workers, the victim may be able to file a third-party lawsuit against the at-fault driver and vehicle owner as well. The driver doesn’t have to face criminal charges for you to be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against him or her.
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.
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. We also recovered $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a van and $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van.
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.
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://nypost.com/2017/11/11/drunk-driver-plunges-into-ditch-after-plowing-over-worker