A terrifying construction accident in New York City left one worker trapped under a small front-end loader at a jobsite in Queens late last month. The individual was working at the future home of a subway ventilation installation located on Northern Boulevard in Queens near the intersection of 46th Street when a piece of machinery (a Bobcat) fell on top of him. The victim was pinned underneath the machine and his fellow workers were unable to rescue him. A NYFD team of responders arrived within minutes and performed a difficult “high-angle” rescue requiring ropes, taking nearly a half an hour to safely remove the injured worker.
Falling object accidents in New York City are one of the deadliest types of construction accident. OSHA lists this type of work-related fatality among its “Fatal Four” (along with electrocution, falls from heights, and being crushed between construction equipment). Most construction accidents of this type involve smaller debris such as equipment, building materials, and tools dropped from scaffolding, knocked off work platforms, or slipped free from crane hoists. Victims are likely to suffer head and brain injuries which often prove fatal.
Thankfully in this case the injured worker was simply pinned by the falling equipment and not crushed. It’s unclear how the machine fell on the man at this point but accident investigators will no doubt be scrutinizing every eyewitness report to see whether or not proper safety procedures were being followed at the construction site.
Regulations mandate specific safety measures (including the use of high-visibility vests meeting the requirements of ISEA “American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel” and labeled as ANSI 107 standard performance for Class 1, 2, or 3 risk exposures) whenever heavy equipment is in use and if ground-level excavation is underway, proper engineering and trench collapse prevention is required.
If you’ve been injured by falling equipment in NYC, contact an experienced New York construction accident lawyer immediately. Call The Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-794-9338 or 212-385-1122 today and schedule your free consultation.