New York Injury Law Blog

AM I LIMITED TO GETTING WORKERS COMPENSATION?

During the last week of May of this year (2010) alone, there were two serious construction site accidents involving falls from significant heights. One involved a worker at a residential building falling fifty feet while he was working on the building’s steel framework. The other involved a worker at the Throgs Neck Bridge.

The first worker died after falling fifty feet. The bridge worker fell 15 to 20 feet off a ladder and was seriously injured.

With respect to the worker that died, officials indicated that it seemed as if he was not wearing a safety harness ! It is precisely this point to which we direct our attention.

There are several facts that make accidents at construction sites unique in the area of Personal Injury Law in New York:

• Construction site accidents are among the most frequent accidents that occur;
• The resulting injuries are among the most serious that occur;
• Public policy is very inclined to seek protection for injured workers and their families;
• the law, especially with respect to liability (who is responsible for the accident that occurred) is not at all necessarily what the layman might think it is–the law can be extremely complex.

The fact that the worker that fell and was not wearing a safety harness should not, and does not, eliminate the possibility that the worker or his family will have a THIRD PARTY LAWSUIT available to him. This would be in addition to any workers compensation claim the worker or his family might have.

It is truly esential when dealing with a construction site accident that a personal injury attorney, in addition to a workers compensation attorney, be consulted. As we have noted on previous blog postings, this could mean very substantial differences to the injured worker and his family. Because of the law’s complexity in this area, be very certain the Personal Injury Attorney chosen is well experienced in this important area of law.

LADDER ACCIDENTS

As Construction Accident Attorneys in New York City, We see may different causes, but ladder accidents are significant. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission there are over 164,000 visits to emergency rooms annually caused by ladder accidents.  Other sources quotes figures of over 500,000 such visits each year.
In an effort to make everyone aware of the root causes for these many injuries, here is a list of the most frequent reasons ladders cause accidents, in order of  frequency:

–Forgetting the rung position on the ladder while descending;
–Carrying materials while ascending or descending the ladder;
–Climbing without three points of contact on the ladder;
–Choosing the wrong ladder for a task;
–Not securing the ladder base to secure footing;
–Positioning the ladder on unstable surfaces;
–Working outside the ladder footprint;

Please pay careful attention to these cautionary tales of ladder accidents. We have helped many people recover substantial amounts after being injured in construction accidents, but no amount can make up for the loss of life or limb. Ladder Accidents Are Too Common. Don’t Allow yourself to be a victim. If you have been, consult an experienced attorney.