A construction accident in Brooklyn claimed the life of an iron worker at roughly 1:30 PM on February 24th. Emergency responders were called to Barclays Center in Brooklyn and found 52-year old Peter Zepf unconscious and unresponsive at the scene. He was taken to Brooklyn Hospital but doctors were unable to revive him.
Eyewitnesses to the construction accident say Zepf was helping to offload steel beams from a truck when the beams became unstable and fell on top of him. Zepf was crushed to death before any of his coworkers could react. Zepf was a veteran iron worker employed by the James F. Stearns Company, a subcontractor working for Bankers Steel.
A Department of Buildings investigation into the construction accident in New York is still in the preliminary stages but at least one investigator told reporters that Zepf may have accidentally depressed the emergency release button on the mobile boom controls, causing the heavy load to release and fall on top of him.
However, one eyewitness told a different story. A construction worker who declined to be identified told the New York Daily News that “the load was top heavy; the truck driver unhooked it without being told, (and) it toppled right on top of [Zepf].”
Depending on what the investigation reveals, under the New York Labor Law, the victim’s surviving family members could potentially bring a lawsuit against the truck driver and the employer, Barclays Center and the general contractor for the project. Similar lawsuits have resulted loved ones receiving financial awards for lost wages, medical and funeral expenses, pain and suffering, and more.
Everyone agrees the death was a tragedy; much more so, if this accident could have been prevented. Falling objects on New York City job sites are one of the most deadly of all work-related accidents. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident on a jobsite, contact a New York City construction accident attorney today to discuss the legal options available to you. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.