A 44 year-old construction worker fell 29 floors while working during the construction of a new luxury apartment building in lower Manhattan. The unidentified worker was working on Maiden Avenue, at a building called “1 Seaport,” at 9:25 am when he tragically fell. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report from Eyewitness News.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the now deceased worker. This is a terribly sad story.
Investigators will now dig for answers to try and determine how this accident happened. Generally when there is a fall at a construction site much of the focus afterwards will be on whether the worker was provided with the appropriate fall protection equipment. That is because falls are the most frequent cause of serious construction accident injuries. Employers and contractors are required to provide equipment that will prevent workers from falling while working at elevated heights and from falling into holes or unsafe openings. Fall protection equipment includes devices like harnesses, lanyards, yo-yos, scaffolds and lifelines.
Construction workers should not have to risk their lives to build our buildings and homes or repair and renovate our bridges, schools, offices and hospitals. Why does this sad story – the one where a worker at a construction site dies because they weren’t afforded the appropriate safety equipment – seem to be a recurring theme? Sometimes the simplest answer is also the correct one. Wealthy developers, property owners and contractors are far more consumed with saving money and profits than they are with worker safety. Those who are in the best position to promote a safe place for people to work in the construction industry are prioritizing profits over the people who work for them. Profits over People. A sad but too often told story.
Some statistics that have been recently released in an article published by The New York Daily News should give you pause. Construction incidents involving fatalities or injuries jumped from 128 in 2011 to 435 in 2015 in the state as a whole. These figures include an increase in fatalities from 17 in 2011 to 25 in 2015 in New York City.
The attorneys at Block O’Toole & Murphy are skilled Construction Accident Lawyers with a track record of success. In 2016, the firm was responsible for recording 3 of the Top 5 Construction Accident Settlements in all of New York State, according to the New York Law Journal. They have recovered a $10,875,000 settlement for a union worker who fell and was impaled on an unguarded steel rebar. The firm also successfully battle on behalf of a union sheet metal worker, recovering $7,400,000 for a man who fell and injured his back.
The lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy are committed to making sure that our clients receive maximum compensation under law. If you or someone to care about has been injured in a serious construction accident, please call 212-736-5300 or fill out our contact form for a FREE legal consultation.