Standing at the base of any of New York City’s skyscrapers can be absolutely awe inspiring. It is amazing to look up and think of all the people inside the building, but even more amazing is to think of the individuals that constructed such buildings. A vast amount of New York City’s construction happens at elevated heights that require scaffolding and other measures to complete the work.
Obviously, working on scaffolding adds another element of danger to an already dangerous job. There should be safety measure in place to combat against the danger, but often work site managers or other parties are negligent in over looking certain safety measures. It can be absolutely devastating, if not deadly, when this occurs.
Two out-of-state construction workers were working on scaffolding at an elevated height when for reasons that remain unclear, the scaffolding holding the workers collapsed, sending both construction workers to the ground below. Thankfully, the fall was not far enough to be fatal. However, one of the men injured both of his legs, and the other appears to have injured his head when he hit the ground.
The extent of the second worker’s head injuries remains to be seen, but according to a local report, the construction worker was conscious but disoriented after the impact to his head. This is often indicative of a concussion which can lead to serious consequences, particularly if the individual has suffered a previous concussion.
Scaffolding accidents can also result in closed-head injuries and traumatic brain injuries, both of which can severely impact a victim’s quality of life and ability to continue working. When a construction worker is injured in New York City, they are eligible for workers’ compensation, but sometimes that is not enough to cover all of the extensive medical bills, lost wages and other complicating factors following a serious head injury. In instances in which a third party is deemed negligent, that third party could be held financially liable as well.
Source: The Winfield Daily Courier, “Men injured in scaffolding accident,” Dec. 7, 2012
- Our firm has experience handling similar cases in New York. For more information, please refer to our construction worker head injury page.