Some of the top causes of accidents on construction sites are objects falling onto workers and/or workers being crushed by objects. This can occur when workers who are performing jobs on scaffolding or high elevations drop items down below, or when building materials are not properly secured during the construction process.
Wearing hard hats can help prevent some injuries caused by falling debris and objects, but not all. If an injury or death does occur because an item fell onto a worker, the victim or surviving family members should consult with the New York City construction accident lawyers at RMFW for assistance.
Just recently, the dangers of falling objects was illustrated yet again in a tragic construction accident. According to the New York Times, two workers were killed in Queens when a steel beam fell from a crane.
Falling Objects Cause Construction Worker Fatalities
The New York Times reports that the recent tragic accident involving the falling steel beam happened in the Briarwood neighborhood at approximately 12:10 in the afternoon. Work was being performed on an apartment complex project on 134th Street and the crane was used to lift the beam approximately four stories up in the air.
The crane was suspended at this height when it suddenly fell down. As it was falling, the beam hit the crane’s cab and killed the crane operator. It then hit the worker on the ground who had been using a flag to help guide the crane operator.
The beam weighed an estimated 6,500 pounds and both construction workers were killed by the beam before emergency responders could arrive at the scene to render aid.
Investigators came to the scene of the tragic accident in order to try to make a determination regarding why the beam collapse occurred. Preliminary findings of the investigators suggested wind did not play a role, although wind has been an issue causing other construction crane accidents in New York in recent months.
Instead, investigators believe that the beam may have fallen as a result of the crane’s rigging. The crane had been inspected in June and passed inspection, and neither the crane operator nor the worksite itself had any history of safety violations.
If the accident occurred because of a defect in the equipment, it is possible that surviving family members of the construction workers could be able to make not only a workers’ compensation claim but they may also be entitled to file a third-party wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturer of the crane or the defective rigging.
This tragic accident is just one of many examples where workers have lost their lives due to falling objects. RMFW can provide assistance in any situation where a worker is hurt on-the-job due to being hit or crushed by an object, as well as in other circumstances when deaths happen due to work duties. Call today to talk with an attorney if you have been hurt or if someone you love has been killed while doing construction work.
