Construction sites can be dangerous places for workers, and a New York City injury lawyer can provide help to those who work construction and who are hurt while they are on the job. In New York, where construction often occurs on heavily-traveled streets, it is not just workers who are at risk of being harmed on construction sites where projects are taking place. Passersby can also be hurt or even killed when passing near construction sites. If and when an incident occurs and someone is hurt, an attorney can provide assistance to the victim or to surviving family members if the incident causes fatal injuries. Passersby becoming hurt because of problems on construction sites happens far too frequently, and it is important to get the right legal help under difficult circumstances when an injury happens. Just recently, for example, Pix 11 reported on an incident when a young girl was hit in the head when walking by a construction site.
Young Girl Hurt While Walking By a Construction Site
According to Pix 11, the little girl who was hurt while walking by a construction site was just eight-years-old at the time of the incident. She was headed out with her family to have a family day at the park when they passed by a construction site on 38th Avenue at 83rd Street. As the family walked by, a four-foot by one-foot wooden plank fell out of a window from a fourth floor apartment. The plank had been thrown out of the window by a construction worker who was performing work in the fourth floor apartment. The family of the little girl had warned the construction workers that they were walking by the area where the construction was taking place. A witness indicated that the little girl’s father yelled up to the apartment that his family was walking by and asked the contractors to stop for a moment so his family could pass safely. The contractors did not discontinue work, instead putting the family at risk, including both the eight-year-old who was ultimately injured as well as her three-year-old brother. The plank hit the eight-year-old who was home on winter break and who was spending time with the family. Witnesses indicated that the plank hitting the girl sounded like a gun shot wound. It caused a two centimeter laceration in the girls’ head, which necessitated emergency treatment at the hospital. A total of three staples had to be put into the young girl’s head as a result of the severity of the injury. While the family was shaken up and the little girl was badly hurt, the family indicated that they were grateful the injuries were not life threatening. They also believe that the little girl will have a lengthy recovery period due to the possibility of secondary concussion and due to the pain she is in. The Department of Buildings has issued a stop work order and the contractor could be fined as a result of the unsafe work practices. In circumstances like this one, a New York City injury lawyer can also provide help to victims and their families in taking legal action to hold accountable those who are responsible for causing harm and to ensure they cover losses.