One of the biggest risks that construction workers face is falling from significant heights. Take the recent tragedy of a worker in Queens who lost his life after falling through the first floor of an apartment building and striking his head on a steel girder 15 feet below, in the basement.
Police are investigating the death, and it comes on the heels of another construction accidents just days ago in the same town. That worker was seriously injured when he fell 12 feet down an elevator shaft.
Liability in a Construction Site Accident
Although working in construction comes with known risks, it doesn’t mean that others can’t be held liable for an accident that results in serious or fatal injuries. Liability will depend on whether there were safety regulations violations or a failure to implement them.
Examples of parties that potentially could be held responsible for a construction site accident include managers, contractors, sub-contractors, engineers, architects, owners and manufacturers of equipment or machinery. Compensation sometimes can be received through Workers’ Compensation benefits or claims such as product liability, personal injury and wrongful death.
Common Types of Construction Accidents
As the primary danger for construction workers, falls can happen from roofs, floors, elevator shafts, scaffolding and ladders. Injuries include fractures and head injuries, including brain damage.
Construction workers also must contend with the dangers of working with heavy machinery. Getting parts of the body crushed or pinched in machinery is another unfortunate, daily risk that construction workers face and can result in broken bones and traumatic amputations.
Even when not climbing great heights or operating difficult machines, workers still must remain constantly vigilant because working in trenches and excavation poses the risk of a collapse. Workers can be trapped, many times losing their lives.
Other types of construction accidents include electrocution, getting struck by falling objects or vehicles and injuries stemming from overexertion or repetitive motion (back, neck, arms). Many times workers are out of work for a long period of time or indefinitely.
Victims and families of construction accident victims do not have to stand by and accept dangerous conditions. Here at Gacovino, Lake, and Associates we have handled work injury cases, so if you have questions concerning the filing of a claim, feel free to contact us.
