New York City Construction Accident Lawyer

Construction Accidents

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Construction sites are notoriously dangerous workplaces. In fact, one out of five worker deaths in the United States involve construction workers. Every ladder, walkway, platform or rail has potential to turn into a slip or a fall. The New York labor and construction injury lawyers at Giordano Law Offices work hard to help injured construction workers and their families get the justice they deserve. We have a dedicated line where prospective clients can text or call us anytime, free consultation: (646) 217-0749.

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Equal Representation For All, Regardless of Citizenship Status

Construction accidents are unfortunately very common in a city like New York that has hundreds of construction projects underway within all 5 boroughs. If you are a construction worker that has been injured on the job, it is important to contact an attorney to take important legal action. Do not let citizenship status stop you: undocumented visitors and residents of this country have full equanimity and rights under the laws of the State of New York and the Constitution of the United States. Our attorneys speak both English and Spanish and have successfully represented and recovered millions for our clients.

Types Of New York Labor And Construction Site Accidents

Construction workers ensure that millions of New Yorkers have homes, places to work, and places to recreate. Our New York City high-rise buildings, roads, bridges, highways, tunnels, airports, apartment buildings, and gyms are due to the hard work of male and female construction workers. New York City workers like electricians, window cleaners, iron-workers, bricklayers, masons, painters, sheet metal workers, and plumbers are all essential components of what keeps New York City going each day. Unfortunately, construction work ranks as among the top most dangerous professions with the opportunity for a lot to go wrong. When a construction site is in violation with the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s standards, there may be evidence of negligence. Here are the most common causes of injury and death for New York construction and labor workers.

Crane Accidents

Cranes are massive tools that are used to lift building and construction materials that weigh thousands of tons. Crane accidents can become catastrophic when things go wrong. Almost half of all crane accidents are caused when cranes come into contact with power lines: the metal surfaces of the crane become energized and electrocutions and other accidents can occur (OSHA). Improper use of machinery, weather patterns, and other factors can also lead to crane injuries and accidents.

Construction Site Burn Injury

Construction workers are very susceptible to burn injuries due to the dangerous nature of their day-to-day tasks on the job. Electric shock, the explosion of a gas line, exposure to hazardous chemicals, welding accidents, exposure to open flames/fire, pipe explosions, and more.

Electrocutions

According to OSHA, electrocutions are the 4th leading cause of death among construction workers. Electrocution occurs when someone is exposed to a fatal amount of electricity.

Elevator Accidents on Construction Sites

Falls down elevator shafts not clearly marked as open and elevator malfunctions account for a large portion of construction site deaths. Common injuries that occur in elevator accidents are neck and back injuries, fractures and broken bones, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and death.

Explosion Injury

According to OSHA, fires and explosions kill 200 & injure 5,000 workers each year. A single spark can cause a construction site explosion or fire that can seriously injure or kill construction workers. Causes of construction site fires are compressed gas cylinders, flammable and combustible liquids, chemical explosions, pressurized container explosions, blasting agents, and more.

Caught In-Between

When a construction worker is caught in between building materials and/or equipment or crushed in a collapse. Iron-workers traditionally have high rates of caught in-between fatalities due to the nature of their work. This type of injury can occur when equipment with moving parts is not properly safe-guarded or stored. Additionally, mobile machinery has the potential to tip over and this can cause cave-ins of unprotected trenches and excavations. Serious injury or death can occur from being caught in-between or crushed on a construction site.

Fall From Heights

According to OSHA, construction site falls are the leading cause of death on construction sites and appropriate fall protection was the most frequently cited OSHA violation when they last tabulated citations during the fiscal year of 2018 (see below). In New York City, where buildings are over 100 stories high, the risks are enormous and falls can be deadly.

Struck By Object/Falling Debris

After falls, falling objects and debris are the second-leading cause of fatal accidents on a construction site according to OSHA. Anytime a construction worker is under an elevated working area, there is a risk of injury or death from a falling object. Even small objects like nails can become deadly when they fall from great height or strike a sensitive orifice.

Forklift Accidents

Forklift accidents can occur when the operator of the forklift encounters a blind-spot or has a blocked view. According to OSHA, over 95,000 workers are injured in forklift accidents per year. Injuries and deaths occur when the forklift overturns, when workers fall from forklifts, when laborers are crushed by forklifts, and when workers are struck by falling material(s).

Improperly Braced/Unprotected Holes

Serious injury and death can occur when scaffolding has not been constructed properly or when there are unprotected or improperly braced holes in flooring that cause construction workers to fall.

Ladder Injuries

Ladder fall injuries can be fatal especially given the nature of the tall buildings in New York. Ladder safety violations are listed in the top 10 most cited OSHA safety violations. If a construction site is in violation of federal OSHA safety guidelines, there may be evidence of negligence.

Scaffolding Injuries

Improperly constructed scaffolding can result in construction worker fall injuries. Additionally, injuries can occur when holes and openings in scaffolding allow debris to strike or crush workers or passerby. Finally, improperly constructed scaffolding can also cause injury or death when the scaffolding itself falls onto or crushes workers or passerby.

Shores and Forms

Shore-related injuries occur when shoring, a process of temporarily supporting a building or structure with props, is improperly constructed. Laborers can fall, get caught in-between, get struck by debris, or crushed as a result. Forms, temporary or permanent molds into which concrete or similar materials are poured, can also cause injury when OSHA safety measures are not met. Construction workers can get injured when molding material falls on them, gets stuck in their eyes or other orifices, or causes them to get stuck in-between construction materials.

The Most Frequently Cited OSHA Standards Violations

For the fiscal year of 2018, OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, tabulated the most frequently cited OSHA health and safety standards violations:

Fall protection, construction
Hazard communication standard, general industry
Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
Respiratory protection, general industry
Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry
Ladders, construction
Powered industrial trucks, general industry
Fall Protection–Training Requirements
Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements
Eye and Face Protection

[Data is from the OSHA website:https://www.osha.gov/data/commonstats]

Nearly every item, tool or machine on a construction site is capable of causing injury. Workers routinely experience injuries due to falls, falling objects, electrocutions, crane accidents, scaffold accidents, ladder accidents, getting run over by operating equipment, forklift and welding accidents, getting crushed, and exposure to dangerous materials. Giordano Law Offices attorneys represent injured workers and their families regardless of the cause of the accident. Call us today for your free consultation: (646) 217-0749.

Important Next Steps If You Have Been Injured In A Construction Accident

If you have been injured, it is important that you contact a qualified attorney as soon as possible. Try to speak with an attorney before you give a statement for an accident report or speak with an insurance adjuster. Remember, they may be recording you without telling you; they may try to use that recorded statement against you later on. The highly skilled construction accident attorneys at Giordano Law Offices are adept at handling an array of construction accident claims. If you have been injured on the job, you may be entitled to a monetary recovery for your pain and suffering, lost wages, medical and hospital expenses, and other lost benefits. New York state law allows for injured New York City construction workers to file for workers compensation benefits to cover your medical expenses and part of your lost wages while you are unable to work. It is not uncommon for injured New York City construction workers to have two simultaneous cases at once: one for your workers compensation case and another for your personal injury lawsuit. Giordano Law Offices New York City Construction Lawyers are top-rated in the field and have recovered millions for our clients. Our attorneys are skilled at handling all aspects of your lawsuit and our top-rated NYC construction accident attorneys will aggressively pursue justice in the form of a recovery for you. Call or Text our attorneys anytime for a free consult: (646) 217-0749.

Is My NYC Construction Injury or Accident Actionable By A Lawsuit?

If you or someone you love has been injured in a construction accident, you may be entitled to a monetary recovery. The New York State Labor Law in sections 200, 240, and 241(6) directly address construction accident claims. These sections are important because in the case of severe and catastrophic construction accidents, workers compensation benefits often do not adequately compensate you or your loved one for your medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of earnings and benefits, and hospital bills. New York Labor Law limits you from suing your employer for a work accident because you are entitled to a workers’ compensation claim from your employer if they have workers’ compensation insurance. However, you may nonetheless have a claim and be able to sue depending on the circumstances.

Labor Law 240(1) requires contractors and their agents to provide proper protection to workers engaged in erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of buildings or structures who are using ropes, irons, braces, pulleys, blocks, hangers, slings, ladders, stays, hoists, scaffolds and other devices. These are typical “gravity related” accidents involving workers falling from heights or objects falling on workers, but there can be other types of construction accidents which were caused by gravity. Labor Law 241(6) allows workers to sue general contractors, owners, and other contractors for violations of specific regulations of the New York State Industrial Code. Labor Law 200 allows workers to sue companies for their failure to provide reasonable and adequate protection to workers on a job-site.

Construction sites are dangerous places where sometimes fatal accidents occur. Unfortunately, works are sometimes hurt on scaffolding, ladders, and hoists. While not all construction accidents allow injured parties to sue their employers, it is imperative that you contact a highly skilled New York City construction accident attorney at Giordano Law Offices today. We have a dedicated line where prospective clients can text or call us anytime: (646) 217-0749. We will never charge you for an initial consultation and we treat our clients like family. When you become a client of Giordano Law Offices, you have access to our attorneys every step of the way and our attorneys are always in touch with you to update you on the status of your case.

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Workers’ Compensation In New York Work Site Accident Claims

Workers’ compensation is the standard way for injured workers to get their medical bills and other costs paid. Although it applies slightly differently in each state, it generally works by covering medical bills and partial wages for the duration of the time that you are injured. It is available to those who have been injured on the job and is generally the only way workers can bring a claim against their employers for injuries. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, meaning that a worker can recover whether their employer was negligent or not. There may be limits on which doctors you can visit, how much you can recover per week and the duration of payments. Our New York workers comp attorneys strive to get injured construction workers the benefits they are entitled to under New York law.

Bringing Third-Party Claims To Help Injured Workers Get Compensation

While the law prevents workers from suing their own employer, it does not prevent lawsuits against other people or companies on a construction site. Workers are frequently able to bring negligence claims against other contractors, subcontractors and property owners. Our lawyers will work with you to bring a negligence claim against any party whose actions caused you to suffer an injury.

Legal Help For Fatal Construction Site Accidents

When a construction accident is fatal, our attorneys help families get justice. If the accident was the fault of your loved one’s employer or an accident with no one at fault, you may be entitled to benefits under workers’ compensation laws. If another contractor or entity was responsible for your relative’s death, we will assist your family in bringing a wrongful death lawsuit and seeking compensation.

If You Or If A loved One Has Experienced A Construction Site Injury, Call Us Today

At Giordano Law Offices PLLC, we provide experienced and skilled representation to injured construction workers. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries on a construction site, our New York attorneys can help. Construction Accident and Injury Attorneys at Giordano Law Offices have been ranked in the top 5% in the country by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Platforms like Expertise, Avvo, and Lawyers.com have recognized Giordano Law Offices attorneys with 5 star reviews across the board. When you call Giordano Law Offices after you or your loved one has been injured or has tragically died, you are treated with personal care. You speak directly with attorneys who have successfully won millions for construction accident and catastrophic injury clients. Oftentimes, you are given the personal cell phone number of our leading attorneys that make themselves available to you around the clock. With Giordano Law Offices, we take pride in our customer service and you are treated like an extension of our family. Call or text us anytime for a free consultation: (646) 217-0749. Additionally, you can email us: Info@Gio-Law.com, or contact us online to schedule a consultation. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Meet the Attorney

The Giordano Law Firm was founded by Attorney Jack Giordano. Mr. Jack Giordano is the managing partner and principal at the Giordano Law Firm.