A 32-year-old man was killed in a tragic falling objects accident in New York City last month. The man was employed as a construction worker at a job site in Manhattan’s West Village when tragedy struck. At around 5 PM the victim was struck in the head by a plank that fell from an overhead scaffolding along Hudson Street. EMTs were immediately summoned and the man was rushed to nearby Lenox Health Greenwich Village with severe head, neck, and back injuries. The victim could not be saved and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Investigators immediately shut the job site down. Records show that the Department of Buildings had filed two prior violations at the site just one month before this fatal construction accident. Records also show that 20 individuals have filed separate complaints against the building for failing to safeguard plumbers, blocking exits and other violations.
The existence of prior violations doesn’t mean that safety precautions were bypassed in this most recent construction accident. Furthermore, in order to win in court, it must be shown that on this occasion, the accident was caused by a violation.
Proving liability can be difficult without the help of a New York City attorney experienced in falling object accidents. An experienced attorney together with the findings of the Department of Buildings investigations will invoke the New York Labor Law which holds the general contractor for the project and property owner absolutely responsible for a violation of the Labor Law regardless of the actions of the worker. The deceased victim’s damages will include pain and suffering for the time the victim survived after the accident plus the amount of money the worker would have contributed to his household over the course of his work life expectancy along with all medical and funeral expenses.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured at a job site because of someone’s negligence, don’t delay. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 for a free consultation today.