Construction Fatalities in New York

Rappaport, Glass, Greene and Levine is a New York Construction Injury Law Firm that helps injured laborers all over New York City receive compensation that is a realistic reflection of both the hard work that they do and the pain that they have suffered. It is unfortunate that construction workers should even have to acquire legal counsel in order to receive fair treatment, but insurance companies are notorious for denying claims and offering low settlements in order to maximize their profits. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident anywhere in New York City, including the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island or Long Island, contact the Rappaport, Glass, Greene and Levine for a free legal consultation today.

Construction work is necessary, but very dangerous. There is no other job in the world that requires the combination of strenuous physical labor and personal risk on a daily basis. The number of people working construction in the world is enormous, and what is equally large is the amount of injuries that they suffer while in the course of their work. On average, a construction worker can expect to suffer at least three injuries over his lifetime that will cause him to miss more than three days of work. And while the overall numbers of construction related deaths have gone down significantly over the past decade, the numbers are still high enough to give us pause.

Falls: By necessity, most construction work either goes several stories up or several feet down. Building in either direction leads to enough room between the worker and the ground to prove fatal. Falls from elevation account for one third of all construction deaths. Deaths from falls occur due to the sides of sites or holes in the floor being left unprotected, improper scaffold construction, misuse of ladders, or unprotected protruding steel rebar. The rebar is particularly dangerous and particularly gruesome. All fall from just a few feet onto protruding rebar is enough to be fatal.

Electrical Contact: Electricity is such an integral part of how we live that we have perhaps forgotten to treat it with the respect that it deserves. Any new structure that is built must have access to electricity, which means that construction workers by necessity must be in close contact with high voltage mains, wires and outlets. Workers are injured or even killed due to contact with power lines, lack of proper grounding protection, misuse of electrical equipment, and the improper use of extension cords have all resulted in death or injury on construction sites.

Struck by Objects: There is a reason that anyone on a construction site is required to wear a hardhat. It is impossible to secure every single tool and item that is being used on a jobsite, just as it is inevitable that some piece of equipment, either large or small, will eventually fall. Approximately 75% of accidents involving workers being struck by objects involve cranes or other large equipment, but since a great deal of construction work involves working on roads, it is no surprise that many work injuries and fatalities involve workers being struck by cars or trucks. Bricklayers also suffer from a higher than normal percentage of injuries and deaths where someone is struck by an object.

Digging and Trenching: Building any structure requires a foundation, which means digging. Modern buildings require connection to water mains and underground electrical outlets, which means more digging. Trenches and large pits are an integral part of any modern construction site. There are dangers to this, just as there are dangers in any aspect of construction work. Cave ins are a particular worry, as are asphyxiations.

Heavy Equipment: Bulldozers, backhoes, lifts, shredders, mixers, and cranes are just a few of the myriad of heavy equipment and machinery that is in use on a regular basis on any construction site. There are also a myriad of ways for laborers to receive serious or fatal injuries when these machines are used on a daily basis.

Since construction work is so inherently dangerous, insurance companies charge very high premiums for both the general coverage of the site and also for workers compensation. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be as adept as sending money out as they are at receiving it. Insurance companies routinely deny claims or offer settlements that are worth much less than what the injury victim will need to both cover the medical bills and get their lives back to something livable.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident in the New York City era, contact Rappaport, Glass, Greene and Levine for a free legal consultation today.