A recent tragic accident on a construction site in Queens was one of many accidents that occur each year which involve construction workers being crushed by equipment on the job-site. This type of accident can cause serious harm to the affected worker, including loss of limbs. In many situations, crushing injuries are actually fatal due to the severity of damage that occurs.
New York City construction accident lawyers can provide legal representation to workers who are hurt by accidents involving machinery, equipment, or other items that crush them. Workers’ compensation benefits may be available for injured employees or their family members when the incident is work-related. These benefits can cover medical bills, provide disability income, and provide income to dependents after a death.
Crushing Injuries Cause Serious Harm to Construction Workers
The New York Post reported on the recent tragic accident that occurred on a construction site. According to the Post, the construction worker was at a job site on 126th Street and 82nd Avenue in Kew Gardens. A crawler crane was carrying a giant hammer at the site when the hammer fell onto a construction worker.
The giant hammer hit both of the construction worker’s legs and it pinned him to the ground. A Deputy Chief from the Fire Department of New York indicated to the Post that the worker sustained “serious injuries to both of his legs.” First responders who were called to the scene provided pain medication to the injured construction worker at the scene while FDNY worked to try to free the man from the position where he was trapped. The hammer was secured by ropes as FDNY dug underneath the man to create the space to extract him. He was transported to Jamaica Hospital and was described as being in serious condition.
As tragic as the accident was, the situation could have been much worse. When the hammer fell, a piece of steel sheeting caught part of it. The large piece of steel stopped the hammer from falling the rest of the way onto the construction worker, which would have crushed the man to death. As the FDNY Deputy Chief explained “if it had fallen the rest of the way, it would have killed him.”
Many other construction workers do suffer death from being struck by objects or from being caught in between objects, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Being caught in or crushed by objects are both among the “fatal four,” which are the four top causes of death among construction workers. In total, 9.6 percent of construction fatalities occurred due to the construction worker being crushed by an object and 7.2 percent occurred because the worker was caught by or in between objects.
Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff can provide legal help to workers and families of workers after an injury or death resulting from being crushed by an object. Give us a call today to find out more about how we can help.