Two workers were involved in a devastating construction accident in New York City that, sadly, turned fatal for one of the men. The two were part of a crew doing unspecified and unpermitted work at a location in Sunset Park when a 10-foot high retaining wall collapsed on both of them. EMTs were immediately notified and arrived on scene within minutes of the call but they were too late to save the life of one of the men. The other was extricated from under the rubble and rushed to a nearby hospital with undisclosed injuries.
An investigative journalist digging into the details of the accident uncovered a previous complaint against the property owner for installation of a backyard retaining wall without a permit but there were no citations issued because a permit was not needed. It’s unclear if this was the wall that fell on the two men or not.
No doubt investigators will be examining the remains of the structure for faults and the exact cause of the collapse. If defects in products or workmanship are uncovered, the property owner could potentially be held responsible for the surviving victim’s injuries and lost time from work as well as for the deceased victim. In addition, investigators will look at the safety precautions that were in place at the time of the accident along with the safety equipment that was provided to the workers and how it was functioning.
Violations of local, state, and federal work safety guidelines are serious offenses and could result in significant fines in addition to proving liability in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. An experienced attorney will no doubt invoke the appropriate sections of the New York Labor Law which hold a property owner and general contractor responsible for this kind of construction accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured on a construction job in NYC, you need an experienced construction accident attorney in New York City today. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 for your free consultation.