Construction Site Accidents

• $18.5 Mil. Awarded to 3 Construction Workers Hurt in Scaffold Collapse
  Aug 27, 2010

  Recently, a New Jersey jury awarded nearly $19 million to three different construction workers that suffered severe worksite-related injuries when the scaffolding that was perched above them collapsed, causing one plaintiff to sustain comminuted fractures of his right leg that required 3 corrective surgeries, a second plaintiff to sustain fractures to his jaw, eye sockets and nose, as well as herniated discs in his lower back, and a crush injury to his foot, and the third plaintiff to fracture several vertebrae in his back, as well as fractures to the right ankle and leg.
  
   
  
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• Bronx Construction Worker Injured Under Scaffold Awarded $12.5 Million
  Jul 12, 2010

  Recently, a Bronx jury awarded more than $12,000,000 to a construction worker who sustained a badly herniated disc in his back when a heavy frame fell onto him from a scaffold beneath which he was cleaning. At the time of the construction accident, the scaffolding was in the process of being disassembled. Although the defense attorneys in the case argued that the plaintiff's herniated disc was not caused by this accident, but rather was the product of a pre-existing condition, the jury disagreed.
  
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• NY Appeal Court Allows Worker Injured By Mobile Crane to Pursue Claim
  Jul 07, 2010

  
  In McCoy v. Metropolitan Transp. Auth., a decision that was handed down on July 1, New York's Appellate Division, First Department (which covers New York's Bronx and Manhattan courts) affirmed the trial court's decision that denied the defendants' motion to dismiss a worker's claim that he was injured while working at a construction site. More particularly, the plaintiff claimed that he was injured while using a "mobile crane" as defined by Industrial Code, 12 NYCRR 23-8.2, and therefore, the defendants should be held liable for his injuries pursuant to New York Labor Law § 241(6) based upon their failure to provide proper safety equipment at a worksite. In affirming the trial court's decision denying the defendants' motion, the appellate court held that the trial court properly found that the evidence adduced in the lower court confirmed that the machinery in question qualified as a "mobile crane" for purposes of the statute.
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• NYC Crane Collapse Case Set For Trial on June 21
  Jun 15, 2010

  Jury selection in the criminal case against rigging contractor William Rapetti stemming from the crane collapse that occurred in Manhattan near the United Nations back in March of 2008 is set to begin next week, on June 21. In essence, several investigations concluded that Rapetti did a poor job of assuring the rig was properly secured and anchored, which led to the crane's collapse.
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• Construction Worker Hurt on NY's Upper East Side
  Jun 09, 2010

  On June 7, a construction worker that was in the process of repairing a three-level Manhattan parking garage suffered serious injuries to his arm when a 10' x 13' piece of concrete fell from the parking garage's roof. Apparently, the construction worker's arm was pinned between the concrete and a pipe.
  
  
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• Brooklyn Construction Worker Falls 5 Stories to His Death
  May 30, 2010

  On Thursday, May 27, it was reported that a 36 year-old Brooklyn-based construction foreman fell 5 stories to his death while working on a construction site in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn on Bedford Avenue. According to a preliminary investigation by New York City's Department of Buildings, the worker had not been using a safety harness (which would seem to violate New York Labor Law Section 240(1)).  For additional information on this topic, please see "Why Having Adequate Safety Devices Isn't Enough to Defeat a New York Scaffold Law Claim."
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• Construction Worker Injured In Fall From Ladder at Triboro Bridge
  May 30, 2010

  On May 28, and in a separate construction accident from the Brooklyn construction site accident that occurred on May 27, the Associated Press reported that a construction worker hit his head after falling roughly 20 feet from a ladder he was using to work on the Queens portion of New York City's Triboro Bridge.
  
  For additional information on how New York's Labor Laws apply to construction site safety, please read our article, - 7 - 10

• In Tragic Accident in Upstate NY, Construction Worker Dies
  May 11, 2010

  In a tragic construction accident that occurred on May 3, a 34 year-old construction worker was killed when the earth bank that was beneath him collapsed, trapping him inside. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
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• NY Worker Hurt By Materials Falling Off Forklift Denied Judgment
  Apr 29, 2010

  In Ciccone v. Kendal On Hudson, the plaintiff claimed that he injured his arm when the boom of a forklift dropped suddenly, causing a stack of wallboard panels to strike the plaintiff's arm. In affirming the lower court's denial of his motion seeking judgment as a matter of law on his claims pursuant to New York Labor Law §§240(1) and 241(6), predicated on 12 NYCRR 23-6 [materials hoisting], the appellate court held that the lower court's order denying the motion was correct as to plaintiff's §241(6) claim, because the provisions of 12 NYCRR 23-6 specifically exclude fork lift trucks.  - 9 - 10

Car Accidents

• Plainview Teenager Injured When Car Flips Over
  Aug 30, 2010

  After his car flipped over on Washington Avenue in Plainview early Monday morning, a 19-year-old was listed as being in "serious condition." A second, younger passenger in the car was hospitalized as well as a result of this one-vehicle car accident.
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