Scaffold Accidents - Personal Injury Lawyer NYC

Details: Created: 07 September 2017

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an estimated 2.3 million workers in the construction industry work on scaffolds – this is 65% of construction workers. The 2003 and 2004 Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the private sector revealed that more than 60 deaths and 4,500 injuries occur each year due to scaffold accidents. A recent BLS study shows that close to 72% of workers injured on construction sites attributed the fall or accident to the support or planking giving away, or to the worker being struck by a falling object or slipping. The scaffolding they use in China is made of bamboo – that is even worse but if you have been hurt in America in a scaffolding accident you deserve compensation. You are in the right place.

Scaffolding Safety Standards

Regulations on scaffold safety by the OSHA are generally considered an authoritative source on how to safely construct, use or maintain scaffolds. Compliance with OSHA standards can control all of these accidents. Some of the most commonly violated OSHA scaffold safety regulations include:

Details: Created: 24 February 2017

Scaffolding Accident Seriously Injures Woman Walking With Her Children

BRONX, NEW YORK (February 24, 2017) – A woman walking down a street in the Bronx was hit in the head after scaffolding collapsed due to high winds, according to police. Paramedics rushed to the scene of the accident and found the woman bleeding from the head. The collapse occurred at 3160 Webster Ave. near E. 205th St. in Norwood. The woman's two children were with here when the scaffolding collapsed, but they were not injured. The pedestrian was rushed to to St. Barnabas Hospital and was listed in stable condition. People who work at the agency said the scaffolding fell after workers took down a sidewalk bridge after the city experienced heavy winds. The business that put up the scaffolding received a safety violation last August for installing equipment outside of its permit.

Details: Created: 24 February 2017

Scaffolding Accident Seriously Injures Woman Walking With Her Children

BRONX, NEW YORK (February 24, 2017) – A mother that was walking with her kids was seriously injured after a scaffolding collapsed and hit her in the head, according to ABC News. The 39-year-old victim has yet to be identified. Neither of her two children sustained injuries following the collapse. Paramedics rushed the woman the St. Barnabas Hospital. Heavy winds seem to have contributed to the accident. The Bedford Housing Development project which worked on the scaffolding had previously received a safety violation in August. Our staff at the RMFW Law Firm were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic accident injuring a mother in the Bronx. We encourage the police to conduct a thorough investigation for the sake of all of those that have been involved. There may be liability on the business that installed the scaffolding. This will be determined after a full investigation has been completed.

Details: Created: 06 November 2016

FATAL ACCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION KINGSBURY, NEW YORK (November 11, 2016)

A construction worker drowned to death after falling from scaffolding into the Kingsbury Canal, according to NBC News. Authorities have been able to identify the man that drowned to death as Rahssan Smith. Rahssan Smith was one of several construction workers from the Department of Transportation that fell into the river. In total there were 5 people that fell into the water. Rahssan Smith was from Albany New York. Emergency responders rushed to the scene in order to help the workers. The workers that fell were painting the Smiths Basin Bridge on Route 149. It appears as though a snapped cable may be to blame for the deadly accident. OSHA will continue to investigate the accident in order to determine exactly what happened. Our staff at the RMFW Law Firm were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic death of Rahssan Smith. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family as they try to piece together what happened.

Details: Created: 02 April 2014

New York state scaffolding laws have helped to protect workers for many years, but now some advocates of reform have these laws in their crosshairs. Reporting in the Legislative Gazette February 17 shows trade groups and others contending a link between existing scaffolding laws and extremely high insurance premiums for construction projects. Some claim that existing scaffolding law provides for personal injury payouts even if the worker was at fault, and that these kinds of payouts take a lot of money from taxpayers. Some of the more extreme claims suggest that having strong compensation guidelines makes some projects less feasible or unfairly affects small businesses, though others would question whether this is objectively a main component of the challenges that companies face around expansion

. Other perspectives represented in the report claim that insurance companies haven’t really released information that would show whether high premiums or lack of available coverage are a result of these legislative worker protections, or whether the insurance companies have set some or all of them arbitrarily. Some propose more transparency from insurance companies before laws are changed.

Worker’s Compensation Personal Injury Law

Professional New York City workers’ compensation law firm staffers who work to defend personal injury victims every day have their own opinions on whether existing workers protection laws should be reformed. It’s easy for critics of worker’s compensation requirements to claim that these protections are excessive, and that they ratchet up costs for projects. However, personal injury attorneys and other legal professionals representing injured New York workers have a responsibility to truly represent this community — the people who are injured working on the front lines, and need reasonable protections and avenues for compensation when they suffer from workplace related injury. And, there’s a case to be made that ‘reform’ should not just involve cutting costs, but determining when workers need various levels of compensation to cover all of the costs and hardships they will face after an injury. In the end, there is a large gray area regarding what is ‘reasonable and proper’ when it comes to compensation and payouts for personal injury. A New York City workers’ compensation law firm works hard for clients to advance their cases and get them the money that they truly need for care and recovery, and more. As changes to state and local laws continue to play out, local legal professionals will keep a close eye on what’s “allowed” for plaintiffs, in order to counsel clients to the best of their abilities, again, to maximize the success for an injured worker looking for help after negligence or unsafe conditions lead to an injury.

Personal Injury Lawyers in New York City

If you or someone you love was injured on the job, or suffers from some other kind of personal injury, you can get legal help from a New York City workers’ compensation law firm. Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff has years of experience representing New Yorkers in various kinds of personal injury and wrongful death cases. Let us help you to assess your options and seek compensation to protect your family’s finances.