Three people were injured, including one critically and another seriously, when a mini crane came crashing down at an East Harlem construction site. According to a report in the New York Post, a construction crew was installing a curtain wall at a building on East 126th Street near Lexington Avenue when the mini crane went out of control. Department of Buildings officials said the crane, carrying the panel in tow, rolled over and fell three to four stories to the ground below, taking one male worker with it and injuring two others.
Another construction worker from a neighboring worksite who had rushed over stated that a panel had landed on and crushed one of the victim’s legs and that the injured worker was saying he couldn’t feel his legs. The three victims were rushed to a local hospital. The worker who fell three stories was said to be in critical condition, which was later upgraded to “stable” condition. Another person was in serious condition, but was expected to survive. The third victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by debris. The Department of Buildings is investigating this construction accident.
Construction Accidents in New York
According to a recent study published by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, construction deaths in New York States hit a 14-year high in 2016. The study found that 71 workers died statewide in construction-related accidents in 2016. That was up from 55 deaths in 2015 and was the highest number of construction site fatalities since the year 2002. Deaths in New York City have raised alarm among city officials.
Eight construction workers had died in the city as of September 2017 and 12 workers died each year in 2016 and 2015, compared with eight in 2014. Many of the deceased construction workers in New York City had been immigrants. Often undocumented workers are afraid to speak out about poor training or unsafe workplace conditions.
In an effort to improve construction site safety, the City Council voted unanimously last year to approve legislation requiring workers on most construction sites to undergo at least 40 hours of safety training. This vote in September 2017 came less than one week after two construction workers were killed on the same day in separate incidents in Manhattan.
Injuries and Compensation
Construction accidents result in a wide range of serious and debilitating injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, multiple broken bones, spinal cord trauma, eye injuries amputations, lacerations, sprains and strains, muscle injuries and internal organ damage. Many of these injuries are catastrophic in nature, which means that the injured victim can never return to the way he or she was before the accident. These are also typically permanent injuries that have lifelong effects and result in permanent disabilities. The consequences of such injuries for workers are that he or she often cannot return to work for an extended period of time or they may never be able to work again or earn a future livelihood. This places a tremendous emotional and financial strain on victims and their families. As construction accident lawyers, we also see victims suffer serious psychological issues ranging from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
Workers who are injured in construction accidents may be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits, which typically cover medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, they may be able to file a third-party lawsuit for substantial money damages against a number of parties and thus have two ways to recover 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. 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.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you have suffered injuries 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.
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 medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been 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/2018/06/25/several-injured-after-crane-falls-on-east-harlem-building/