Two bystanders were injured in a construction accident in Flatbush, Brooklyn, after police say a boom truck tipped over on Feb. 18. According to a CBS New York news report, the truck’s extended crane struck a vehicle and a nearby building on Glenwood Road between Nostrand Avenue and East 31st Street. Two men were sitting in the vehicle that was hit at the time. They were transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, but officials say they are expected to survive.
Safety Violations Reported
Officials from the New York City Department of Buildings say workers from the construction company were trying to lift a bundle of material to the roof of a building, but something went wrong causing the truck to tip over and the crane to come crashing down. A witness told CBS that the crane was shaking and the vehicle holding the crane was rocking as it attempted to lift the material up.
The owner of a neighboring business told CBS that she knows the injured victims and at least one of them broke a leg in the incident. Good Samaritans helped pull the victims out of the vehicle. Police said one of the victims, a 35-year-old man had pain in his head and all over his body and the other man, 43, suffered a leg injury.
DOB officials issued violations to the construction company for failure to safeguard the public, unsafe hoisting operations and failure to have a certified rigger on scene. New York City requires a license to operate a boom truck that can lift 2,000 pounds or more. So far, 228 such licenses have been issued by the city. A DOB press release stated that the operator of the boom truck made “several critical errors during the delivery operations that led to this rollover.” The statement also said that the DOB’s licensing requirements for boom truck operators specifies that only those with the proper knowledge and experience must operate these hoisting devices.
Who Can Be Held Liable?
Construction companies and contractors are required to follow safety protocols when it comes to using heavy equipment and vehicles in construction sites. Workers must be provided with job training and safety training in a language that they understand. Construction companies and some contractors or sub-contractors have a duty to ensure their workers are properly supervised. When it comes to crane operations, New York City’s regulations require a certified rigger at the worksite to prevent these types of accidents.
These companies also have to ensure the safety of their workers as well as any bystanders and pedestrians in the vicinity. They should take precautions such as securing tools and equipment and observe safety measures when heavy machinery and equipment are being used to prevent injuries to passersby and pedestrians. General construction companies, managing agents, building owners, some contractors and sub-contractors have a responsibility to ensure that the construction activity at a worksite does not pose a danger to nearby workers, visitors or pedestrians. If you have been injured as the result of a poorly maintained/poorly secured work site, please understand that you have legal rights.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
In such cases, injured bystanders or passersby can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injury, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for damages such as lost future income, funeral costs, medical expenses, pain and suffering, etc. Liable parties may include construction companies, general contractors, sub-contractors, property or building owners/managers, manufacturers of defective products, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of hazards at a construction site, the experienced 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.
We recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. 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.
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1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
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Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/truck-crane-crash-flatbush-brooklyn/