Six construction workers were rushed to the hospital after a scaffolding accident in Queens last month. The men were working at a jobsite in Long Island City at 42-20 27th Street where a new building is being erected. They were five floors above ground level when the scaffolding beneath them collapsed just before 11 on the morning of June 26th. The crew was pouring concrete at the time of the crash-likely using a crane boom in the process-but an immediate cause has yet to be determined.
Thankfully the FDNY rescue crews arrived within minutes of the accident and were able to quickly stabilize all of the victims. However, two of the men were removed from the scene on stretchers and all of the victims were taken to the hospital for treatment with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
Any time you’re working above ground level the potential for an accident increases. Scaffolding accidents in New York City are one of the leading causes of serious injury and death within the construction industry. Every year dozens of men and women are hurt while on the job and a handful lose their lives because of faulty equipment, lackadaisical oversite, and shoddy maintenance.
An investigation into this latest construction accident in Queens is still ongoing. Investigators will be looking at things like photographs from the accident scene, maintenance records, and documentation to determine which parties on the jobsite was even partially at fault for the workers’ injuries. Under the New York Labor Law, the owner of the property and general contractor can be held absolutely liable for a scaffolding accident if it is found that the scaffold failed in any way and caused the accident. Even the workers’ actions cannot be a defense. The workers can recover pain and suffering for their injuries and lost income, present and going into the future.
If you’ve been injured in a similar jobsite accident, contact a New York City scaffolding accident attorney today.