Unfortunately, accidents at the World Trade Center construction site are not uncommon. One construction worker suffered serious injuries after falling 15 feet while attempting to install a steel beam. The Huffington Post reported that the worker broke both arms and seriously injured his head when he slipped on something at the site. The same report also noted a previous accident involving a worker who fought serious injuries after he fell five feet and was impaled on a piece of metal.
The New York Daily News also reported on the concerning number of construction accidents occurring at this site. The piece featured a crane which dropped a load of steel 40 stories to the ground, multiple fires on site, a steel beam rolling over and injuring a worker’s leg and multiple falls.
Hazards of working in New York City and remedies for injured workers
Working in a city like New York is very different than working at other construction sites. The city offers a unique set of hazards. Workers have to deal with extreme heights, high winds and cramped spaces. The New York City Bar, a group of legal professionals in the city, notes that the city has special provisions within the law designed to help offer additional protection to these workers by holding employers and third-parties responsible for their actions.
Generally, the first step towards compensation for a worker injured at a construction site in the city is to file a workers’ compensation claim. Essentially, the workers’ comp system is designed to provide payment to workers without putting both the worker and employer through a potentially lengthy and costly courtroom battle. Instead, the employer carries workers’ comp insurance and, if there is an accident and an employee is injured while working, the employee can file a claim with the insurance provider for payment.
Workers’ compensation is not always an option. Contractors, for example, are generally not covered by workers’ comp. As a result, a contractor may need to consider filing a personal injury suit. In some cases, workers may recover against a third-party that was responsible for the accident that led to the injury in addition to collecting workers’ comp benefits. In order to be successful, these claims often require the inclusion of evidence establishing that the third-party was aware or should have known that safety violations that contributed to the accident were present.
Navigating through these options can be confusing. As a result, those injured in a construction accident in New York should contact a NY construction accident attorney.