A construction worker was injured in a scaffolding accident in Manhattan earlier this month while working on the facade of a building in Midtown. The worker fell multiple stories from the scaffolding erected at the site. The accident occurred just before ten in the morning and rescue crews arrived within minutes. Although the injured worker landed on a safety net high up on the building, rescue workers were eventually able to lower him to the 15th floor of the building and carry him down from there.
Eye witnesses to this terrifying scaffolding accident stated that the worker actually broke through the scaffolding platform but was saved by a fall arrest net in place below . If not for that safety measure, the man would have tumbled 16 stories to the sidewalk below. He was admitted to Bellevue Hospital with injuries doctors classified as serious and life-threatening.
Investigators are investigating the fall and whether there was any violation of the safety codes which might have caused this scaffolding accident. OSHA regulations require the use of safety railings, fall arrest gear, and safety netting on platforms above ground level. The New York Labor law was enacted to protest individuals who work at elevated job sites. The law requires that certain safety equipment be in place when a worker is working on an elevated surface, be it a ladder, scaffold or any kind of elevated platform. The law holds the property owner and general contractor absolutely responsible if a violation of the safety rules contributed in any way to the worker’s accident. A civil lawsuit can recover unpaid medical bills, lost wages-past, present and future along with pain and suffering for the injuries sustained in the accident.
Falls from heights are one of the leading causes of fatal construction accidents in New York. They’re also one of the most common types of accidents at job sites around the city. If you’ve been injured in a fall at a construction site, contact the experienced New York City scaffolding accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel today. Call 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 right now.