Construction Accident

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Midtown Manhattan is in the central part of NY City’s Manhattan and is its central business district. Zip codes 10018, 10036 and 10019.

Midtown Manhattan Construction Accident Lawyer Fighting for You

In the blink of an eye, a construction site accident can change your life forever, and not for the better. If you or someone you love suffers harm because of falling debris, construction equipment, or any other hazard on a construction site, you deserve trusted legal representation.

Dedicated Midtown Manhattan Construction Accident Lawyers Can Help You Recover Compensation

When the dust settles after a construction site accident, knowing where to turn can be difficult. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may be unable to work and could be facing costly medical bills. An experienced Manhattan construction accident lawyer can help you file a lawsuit to recover reimbursement for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.

Below are some of the injuries that can be sustained at a Manhattan Construction Site:

  • Burn injuries
  • Injuries caused by Forklifts
  • Construction vehicle collisions
  • Crane accidents
  • Electrocution injuries
  • Falling debris
  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Hazardous chemical exposure
  • Ladder accidents
  • Machinery and Equipment accidents
  • Scaffolding accidents

If negligence causes injury to you or someone you love, you need competent legal counsel. Contact the law office of Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC for your free, no obligation in office consultation at 212-240-9465.

Manhattan Construction Accidents and Injury Statistics

Most New Yorkers go about their day blissfully unaware that construction accidents are happening around them. Unfortunately, given the many new projects, cranes, scaffolds, and construction sites scattered across Manhattan and the Bronx, construction accident injuries are all too common. If you or a loved one suffers a TBI, broken bone, or other type of injury because of a construction accident, an experienced lawyer can help you file a claim for compensation.

Construction Accidents Are on the Rise

With more than eight million people working and playing in New York City, it’s no wonder that new buildings and businesses are constantly popping up. Yet each new skyscraper, apartment building or restaurant means construction sites with cranes, scaffolding, and materials that pose a danger to workers as well as pedestrians.

The number of new construction sites in NYC is not decreasing any time soon. However, precautions can be taken to reduce the number of pedestrian and worker injuries. Contractors and employers have a duty to ensure that they are complying with all safety standards. They should be regularly inspecting equipment, construction sites, harnesses, scaffolding and equipment. Workers should also be aware of their surroundings and report any safety concerns, no matter how minor they may seem.

What You Need to Know When Filing a Construction Injury Suit

New Yorkers suffer harm every day because of falling debris, malfunctioning cranes, poorly erected scaffolding, and other types of construction accidents. If you are the victim of a construction accident in Manhattan, your first goal is to seek proper medical attention. Next, you need to consult with an experienced Manhattan construction accident lawyer.

When handling a legal issue, it is vital that you hire the right attorney. If you are injured in a construction accident, you need someone who focuses on personal injury law. One of the worst mistakes you can make after suffering an injury at the hands of a negligent party is to hire a bankruptcy, criminal defense, estate planning, or other type of attorney.

A skilled construction accident lawyer in Manhattan can quickly review your injuries as well as the facts surrounding the accident and determine if accepting a settlement is in your best interests. An experienced Midtown Manhattan construction accident lawyer can also fight aggressively in court to ensure your rights are protected and your voice is heard.

Swift Action Is Best

If you intend to hold a negligent party responsible for your injuries, you need to take legal action quickly. In New York, according to the statute of limitations, you have only three years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury claim. If you miss this legal deadline, you may be unable to collect any compensation for your injuries. Additionally, it is important to take swift legal action while the details of the accident are fresh in your mind and in the minds of any witnesses.

Compensation Is Proportionate to Fault

When it comes to personal injury accidents, New York follows a pure comparative negligence system. This means that the amount of compensation you are entitled to receive after a construction accident is reduced based on your percentage of fault in the accident. For example, if your damages are $100,000, and the court determines that you are 30% at fault, you would only be awarded $70,000.

Manhattan Law Firm Providing Dedicated Legal Help After Jobsite Injury

Although construction workers make up five percent of the city of New York’s total workforce, fatal accidents suffered by construction workers make up 27 percent of all work-related deaths in the city. Construction work is dangerous and requires that contractors and workers abide by the rules. Many work-related injuries and deaths are caused when workers are struck by construction equipment and vehicles.

Vehicles Pose a Dangerous Hazard on Manhattan Construction Sites

Heavy equipment and motorized vehicles are important tools on any worksite. Trucks, excavators, bulldozers, forklifts, and skid-steer loaders are common and used in residential and commercial construction settings.

When safety protocols are ignored on job sites, serious accidents can result. A ladder may collapse, or you could be struck by falling or flying debris. Another type of all-too common “struck-by” accident occurs when a worker is hit by a construction vehicle or the materials it is carrying. These types of accidents are often serious and have several causes including:

  • At ground level, you may be struck by a load of material carried by a construction vehicle. The driver may not have seen you while turning or moving, putting you in its path. The same goes when you are within the swing zone of a crane or other suspended load.
  • Heavy equipment operators must be well-trained to avoid collisions. Forklifts are notoriously dangerous as it is difficult for the driver to see other workers when the load is lifted and lowered. Moving forward is especially dangerous if the equipment or load itself is blocking the operator from seeing the path ahead.
  • Vehicle operators are often hurt or killed when their vehicles are not properly maintained. When heavy equipment fails, everyone in the vicinity is in danger. Operators are often hurt in rollovers going down inclines, or when equipment is located too near the edge of an excavated area.
  • Construction vehicle fatalities occur when a worker is crushed by a construction vehicle or pinned between vehicles or equipment. Construction equipment moving in reverse can be particularly dangerous. Catching a ride on a vehicle not intended to provide passenger carriage can result in a worker slipping and falling under the wheels of the vehicle.

Any accident involving heavy machinery and a human is going to go badly for the human. Crush injuries can be disabling and fatal, while any kind of struck-by collision can result in a serious head or other injury.

If you are injured by a construction vehicle, high voltage, or equipment accident on a New York City construction site, workers’ comp benefits can provide quick medical care. If you were injured because of the actions of a contractor on a construction site, contact our firm as soon as possible because you may have a third-party legal claim against the company or person whose negligence caused your injury.

Whether caused by overhead lines, buried wires, or the wrong kind of personal protection, an accident involving errant electrical energy on a construction site in New York City can be deadly.

Understanding the Danger of Electrocution on Manhattan Construction Sites

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ranks electrocution among the top four causes of death and injury on construction sites. Contact with an energized line or tool can instantly disrupt physical function. Electrocution is the term used to describe a fatal electrical injury.

Just some of the ways that electricity comes into dangerous play on a construction site includes:

  • Contact with unidentified or unmarked utility equipment
  • A strike on an overhead power line
  • Poorly grounded, constructed, or protected tools
  • Absent or inappropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

OSHA describes the methods of electrical injury most likely to occur on a construction site, which include:

  • Burns: Whether from an explosion, contact, or through electrical shock, burns result at the point of contact, exit, or exposure to electric energy. Burns also result from fires caused by faulty electrical equipment or poor safety practices.
  • Shock: When the body conducts energy from point to point, it is called electrical shock.
  • Arc: When containment fails and electricity arcs through the air, the resulting heat and light cause injury, with temperatures in the range of 35,000 F.
  • Explosions: Electricity can energize matter hanging in the air, causing a devastating explosion.

Construction site electrical accidents cause a wide variety of injuries. Below are some injuries associated with electrical injury:

  • Organ damage: Passage of excessive electrical energy through the body impacts the function of internal organs, often causing heart or organ failure.
  • Tissue damage: Human tissue, like nerves and muscles, can be destroyed by contact with an energized object or through electrical shock.
  • Burns: Anywhere on or in the body can be burned and destroyed by electric shock.
  • Neurological damage: For those who survive electrical injury, neurological damage is common and may be permanent.
  • Physical injury: Being struck by electrical current can throw the body against objects or cause people to fall, or from elevated worksite areas.

If you are injured, contact us as soon as possible after your accident. In addition to the statute of limitations which limits how long you must bring a legal claim, working with an attorney at the outset of your injury helps us build your case to obtain the best possible compensation for your circumstances.

Manhattan Law Firm Fights for Compensation on Your Behalf When You Suffer a Construction Accident

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), approximately 10 percent of construction deaths are caused by objects that strike workers. It might be debris, a tool falling from above, or a metal part flung from moving machinery. OSHA refers to these as “struck-by injuries,” and they are one of the top four hazards for construction workers including falls, caught-in, and electrocution accidents.

If you are struck by falling debris, a fall from a scaffold, or are hurt by heavy machinery, we can provide experienced, straightforward legal representation to help you obtain money to recover from your injury and move forward with your life.

Risk From Falling Debris and Objects on Manhattan Construction Sites

By nature, construction sites are always under development, making safety training, personal protective equipment (PPE), and safety procedures critical to avoid serious or fatal injury.

OSHA standards dictate that “all materials, equipment, and tools, which are not in use while aloft, shall be secured against accidental displacement.” When safety rules are ignored, accidents on Manhattan construction sites can easily happen, including:

  • Construction workers can be hit by unsecured tools when walking beneath platforms, scaffoldings, ladders, or structures where others are working above them.
  • Whenever work is going on above, caution needs to be taken below. Building materials stored in an elevated area that is not secure can fall if displaced.
  • Soil, materials, or debris carried by cranes or heavy equipment can fall and severely injure workers below. Loads suspended above ground are particularly dangerous.
  • When power tools are used, the result can be flying debris, objects, or even tool parts. Nails, debris, metal shards, and building material can be dislodged and become flying or falling shrapnel. When tools are defective, not used properly, or when appropriate PPE is not used, workplace injury can result.
  • Caution is needed around the use of pressurized tools. Compressed air at 30 psi used to clean debris from your person or clothing can drive debris and oils through skin.
  • The collapse of a structure or machinery due to poor maintenance or inappropriate operation and safety can shower debris upon workers. An inappropriately loaded crane or lack of safety procedures can exacerbate the risk of injury when a structural collapse or serious malfunction occurs. A job site without appropriate safety protocols, equipment, and training adds to the already inherent danger of a construction site.

Falling debris often strikes workers in the head, causing traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, lacerations, and other disabling wounds. If you are injured on a construction site in New York City, there may be legal options in addition to workers’ compensation to provide money compensation for your recovery. Speak with us today for answers to your injury questions.

Skilled Legal Service When You Are Hurt in a Ladder Accident in Manhattan

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that more than 24,000 injuries on construction sites each year are related to the use of ladders and stairways. Of those, approximately 36 fall events result in death. As a city constantly under renovation, ladder accidents on local construction sites are frequent in Manhattan.

Ladder Accidents on Manhattan Construction Worksites

As one of the most common pieces of equipment on a worksite, ladders are also often the most misused. Because of their mobility, they can easily be set up in places they should not be.

Types of ladders you see routinely in residential and commercial construction in New York include:

  • Self-supporting step ladder: Easy to use and store, these ladders are hinged.
  • Single ladder: At one size, these ladders cannot be extended.
  • Tripod ladder: A combination of an extension ladder and a step ladder, the ladder has a leg opposite the rungs to provide more support.
  • Extension ladder: Adjustable up and down, these ladders lean against a supporting surface.

When contractors are not cautious of workplace safety, you may be given the wrong type of ladder for the job, or expected to use a ladder instead of other types of equipment.

Here are just some of the ways workers are injured and killed in New York each year using ladders.

  • Ladders that have been improperly stored, or not tagged as being in poor condition, can easily lead to equipment failure, collapse, and injury.
  • Around electrical lines, ladders or work platforms that are moved without caution can lead to electrocution.
  • Worksite safety means using proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when working above ground, on high ladders, scaffolding, or lifts. Many workers and contractors do not take the time to train and use proper PPE that could save them in the event of a fall.
  • If you are provided the wrong type of ladder, you may try to “make-do.” Using the wrong ladder for a job can lead to injury or death.
  • Improper use of ladders is common and deadly. To build a temporary scaffold, workers sometimes run a board between two stepladders, or other configurations to meet a quick access need. This is an inherently dangerous habit.
  • On construction sites, it is tempting to place ladders on ground that is soft or not level. While shifting on the ladder, the imbalance can tip a ladder that is not sufficiently supported at the bottom.
  • Convenience can kill. Ladders placed too close or too far from a structure can collapse. There must be at least three feet of rail extended above the top of the structure being accessed. Trying to climb from the top of a ladder onto a surface without rails is dangerous.

On any worksite, the right kind of ladder must be provided and used properly to avoid injury and death. We work regularly with construction workers injured through the negligence of contractors and other parties.

If you are injured on a worksite by a fall from a ladder, or other construction accident, get medical help and contact us as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.

Heavy Equipment Means High Risk on a New York City Worksite

At any stage in a construction project in New York, workers use tools and heavy equipment to move material and carry out projects. Just some of the common machinery on a jobsite could include:

  • Trenchers: When pipes are laid, or whenever surface digging is required, trenchers will be on the scene. These very useful machines can be fitted to cut through asphalt or other substrates, and create trenches of different sizes. Trenchers can also convey and deposit trenched material outside the trench.
  • Cranes: Like trenchers, cranes are common construction site equipment. Cranes move material and can also be fitted with fixtures to perform different tasks. Cranes are a common site in New York City, on the ground and in the sky.
  • Skid-Steer loaders: For excavation, drilling, grading, or moving materials, skid-steer loaders are relatively small but powerful machines that can be used throughout a construction project and fitted with different attachments, tracks, and tires.

While common, these machines create deadly workplace hazards, including:

  • Because trenchers move heavy soils to outside of the trench, parts of the machine are usually in motion. Working in or around a trencher is dangerous and requires constant monitoring.
  • Cranes are well-known jobsite dangers. Untrained operators, poor maintenance, or poor installation of the crane are just some of the reasons for frequent deadly crane accidents in New York City. Workers within the swing radius of a crane can easily be crushed.
  • Because they are nimble, useful, and relatively simple to operate, skid-steer loaders are frequently a factor in construction site accidents, often when a load falls, or the loader rolls.

Whether large or small sized, construction site machinery can cause crush and caught-in injuries. Caught-in injuries and death occur when a worker is caught between the parts of a machine, or between objects. These accidents are one of the four most deadly construction worksite hazards identified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and usually involve unsafe circumstances including:

  • Proximity to a crane, trencher, or other heavy machine can crush or strike a worker when the machine moves.
  • Working close to any machine without awareness or personal protective equipment (PPE) can cause severe injury or death.
  • Tools are often modified to defeat safety features that make the equipment less convenient to use.
  • Poor worksite safety training can lead to capture of clothing or body parts by machine parts.

Almost any tool or equipment on a construction site can become a serious source of injury or death if used, stored, or maintained improperly. From ladders to loaders, if you are injured working on a New York City construction site, we can help. If a third-party was involved in your jobsite injury, you may have a legal claim for compensation to help you as you recover. Call us today for straightforward, honest legal advice.

Scaffold Accidents in Manhattan Are Dangerous

Scaffolds are important equipment in construction in New York. Scaffolding can be suspended from a building, supported against a wall, or hoisted with mobile equipment. Just some of the hazards to builders who are working on or around scaffolds include:

  • Collapse of the scaffold, or support on which it depends.
  • Falls from equipment, or struck-by injury from falling objects.
  • Electrical injury occurs if scaffolds or hoists encounter energized equipment.

While most people imagine serious injury taking place on a commercial build site, New York residential renovation and construction sites can be equally hazardous. Types of injury associated with scaffold or ladder accidents include:

  • Blunt force to the head can cause traumatic brain injury.
  • Falls or back injury could lead to spinal cord injury and paralysis.
  • Lacerations, bruising, and impact can result in damage to tissue and internal organs.
  • Broken bones are frequent with scaffolding falls.
  • Death is a too-common result of a fall or equipment failure on a New York construction site.

New York City is continually being renovated, torn down, or rebuilt. For more than 100 years, the state has recognized the elevated risk of those who work above city streets.

If you are seriously injured in a scaffold accident in New York City, file for workers’ comp benefits and contact our firm for informed legal advice and strong legal pursuit of full compensation on your behalf. As with all reputable personal injury attorneys, you pay no fees unless we recover money damages for you.

NEWS: July 26, 2023 – A construction crane from the top of a high-rise building in Midtown Manhattan and burst into flames, partially collapsing into the middle of the street in bustling Midtown. Sightings of the fire were reported as early as 7:30 a.m. according to officials with knowledge.

A crane operator who was working in the crane’s cabin, lifting tons of concrete, saw the fire and tried to extinguish it, but was unable to before having to flee for their own safety. Traffic was closed around 10th and 11th Avenues between 41st and 42nd Streets, near Times Square. Only minor injuries were reported to about half a dozen individuals including firefighters.

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If you have been injured in a Midtown Manhattan Construction Accident, contact us now at 212-240-9465 to get the wheels of justice spinning for you!

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