Three construction workers were injured in a terrifying scaffolding accident in New York City late last month. The individuals were working above street level at a job site in Brooklyn at around 2:30 in the afternoon of February 27th when the scaffolding they were on collapsed.
EMS arrived at the scene of this latest construction accident in Brooklyn within minutes of receiving the 911 call. All three individuals were transported to nearby Bellevue Hospital. Their injuries were classified as relatively minor and all are expected to make a full recovery.
These individuals were extremely lucky. Similar scaffolding accidents in New York City have resulted in death and serious bodily injury in the recent past. Indeed, the Department of Buildings and federal OSHA inspectors have recently ramped up inspections of scaffolding at job sites around New York because a number of these temporary work structures have been found to be deficient. Either they were designed improperly for the application for which they were intended or they were assembled incorrectly.
There has been no official determination released to the media of a causal factor for this latest scaffolding accident but FDNY officials said at the time they responded to the call that winds were higher than average and may have played a role in the collapse. Even so, the property owner and general contractor can be held liable for the accident.
Under the New York Labor Law, property owners and general contractors are held absolutely liable for a scaffolding accident in the event of a failure of the equipment. If a worker is injured due to a scaffold collapse, under the Labor Law, the property owner and general contractor will be responsible for the worker’s injuries, time out of work leading into the future as well as any out-of-pocket expenses.
Navigating a personal injury lawsuit based on the New York Labor is complex. If you’ve been injured in a similar accident, you need to contact a skilled and experienced scaffolding accident attorney in New York City. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 today.