A Brooklyn scaffold failure that changed a woman’s life forever and left her with a traumatic brain injury may bring criminal charges against the parties involved. According to a report in the New York Daily News, the 32-year-old woman was celebrating a promotion at work on June 30, 2019, at a bar in Gowanus when scaffolding on the roof of a building next door to the bar fell 12 stories to the ground.
Site Violations
The falling debris knocked the woman out, leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood. The report says that the victim is now fighting to recover from severe brain damage and Brooklyn prosecutors are weighing criminal charges against the companies involved. City investigators say the scaffolding fell because it was not properly attached to the rooftop.
Officials with the New York City Department of Buildings say the construction companies involved were not up to code and committed a series of violations. They were hit with several violations after this incident including failure to safeguard property and leaving the scaffolding improperly secured. One of the site’s safety coordinators was charged with failing to perform his duties.
Catastrophic Injuries
The woman has suffered such severe brain damage that she is still relearning how to speak and trying to remember her own family members. Her father told the Daily news that she may never be able to return to her accounting job in New York City where she was awarded a promotion the day before she was catastrophically injured.
The scaffolding fractured the woman’s skull, caused brain bleeds and seizures, the Daily news reports, adding that two years later, she is still dealing with symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, seizures and trouble focusing. Traumatic brain injuries are typically caused by sudden and severe impact to the head.
Such injuries have the potential to be life-changing because they result in permanent physical and mental trauma leaving victims with life-long disabilities, impaired functions and sometimes, in need of long-term care and rehabilitation. In addition to physical and emotional challenges, victims and their families are also left facing significant expenses in terms of medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, lost income and benefits, lost earning capacity, etc.
Liability Issues
General construction companies, managing agents, building owners, some contractors and sub-contractors have a responsibility to ensure that facades, scaffolds and other structures at a construction site are properly secured so they don’t pose a danger to workers, visitors or pedestrians at or near the worksite. If you have been injured as the result of poorly maintained or poorly secured scaffolding, please understand that you have legal rights.
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.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a facade, scaffold or building collapse, 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 nearly 50 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm 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 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 and/or 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://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-kathleen-keating-scaffolding-collapse-brooklyn-da-investigation-20210718-rabaialgjvcxjetms4jtzmksim-story.html