A bizarre icy sidewalk accident in New York City has claimed the life of a respected doorman on the Upper East Side. The doorman, 59-year-old Miguel Gonzales, was killed after slipping and falling on the snow-covered sidewalk outside the building in which he worked. Multiple reports state that Gonzales was shoveling snow in front of a building located at East 93rd Street when he slipped on the sidewalk and somehow ended up crashing through a plate glass window. Sheets of such glass can weigh several hundred pounds and have razor-like edges when the pane shatters.
Emergency responders arrived within minutes and took Mr. Gonzales to nearby Metropolitan Hospital. He suffered severe head and neck lacerations from the jagged glass and had lost multiple pints of blood. Mr. Gonzales was declared dead on arrival.
This news hit his family and friends extremely hard. After decades of providing for his family, Gonzales was planning to retire next year. He had already sold his home in preparation for the move to Puerto Rico.
It’s unclear exactly how the victim ended up crashing through the window. However, because this accident occurred on the job, Mr. Gonzales will be entitled workers’ compensation benefits which should cover his medical and funeral expenses. In addition, his family will receive an allowance for his lost wages. Just as important, if the investigation reveals that another party’s actions contributed to this accident, even partially, the victim’s family and dependents have a basis for a lawsuit for unpaid medical and funeral expenses along with lost financial support.
Property owners have a responsibility to keep the adjacent sidewalks, pathways and stairways reasonably safe. In the winter that job becomes doubly hard as snow and ice build-up on stairwells, walkways, and sidewalks and can turn ordinary safe surfaces into treacherous, life-threatening slip and fall hazards.
If you’ve been injured because of an icy sidewalk accident in New York City, contact the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel today.