A jobsite on the Upper West Side was shut down last month after the Department of Buildings investigated a massive concrete spill at the site. The construction accident in New York City left 3 cubic yards of concrete-enough to fill the back of a pickup truck three times (roughly 600 gallons or roughly 12,000 pounds) spewed across the work site.
Witness reports state that the operator of the concrete pumper was working on the 11th floor of 200 Amsterdam Avenue when they accidentally swayed the output spout into a wooden support structure. The structure collapsed and the cascade of thick, extremely heavy concrete started pouring down to the ground below. Indeed, had any workers been in the path of the quick-flowing concrete, they could have been crushed, seriously injured or even killed.
The Department of Buildings’ stop work order immediately ceased all concrete work at the site and no further pouring can take place until the contractor in charge of the jobsite rectifies the potential safety hazards. In addition, the contractor will have to respond to a city-mandated citation for “failure to safeguard” at the jobsite.
The number of construction accidents in New York City is on the rise after several years of declining. Safety advocates point to a much higher number of construction projects, making it almost impossible for DOB and other regulatory agencies to keep up with their regular inspections.
Prosecuting a claim against all the proper parties required the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced attorney. More importantly, only an experienced construction accident attorney in New York City knows how to invoke the New York Labor Law which holds property owners and general contractors liable for failing to provide the required safety equipment and measures that must be in place for the protection of construction workers.
If you’ve been injured at a jobsite in NYC, the property owner and general contractor in charge of the site, among others, could be held liable for your injuries, unpaid medical expenses and lost wages (present and future). Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 for your free consultation without any further delay.