Construction Accidents2019-12-19T06:59:57+00:00

NYC CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS

CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

Construction is very dangerous work.  The incidence of fatalities is 4X as high and any other occupation!  In New York, over the last ten years, more than 500 construction workers have lost their lives and thousands have suffered serious injuries.  Many of these accidents could have been avoided with proper safety precautions.  When proper procedures are not followed to protect construction workers, resulting in serious injuries or death, a lawsuit to recover damages should be investigated.  NYC Construction Accident Attorneys with generations of experience can help you best as these cases are quite complicated.

Wittenstein & Wittenstein, Esqs brings you the very best experience and resources.  It starts with an initial free consultation, where you will discuss the facts and circumstances of your case with an attorney.  The laws and regulations of New York State and Federal Law will be applied to the unique facts and circumstances of your case and you will receive an assessment of your case’s merit.  NYC Construction Accident Attorneys, Wittenstein & Wittenstein, can expertly handle your construction accident case.

For a free consultation, you can call: 718-261-8114, e-mail law@wittenstein.com or use our online form.  The consultation is 100% complimentary.

CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT COMPENSATION

Construction Accident cases are multi-faceted.  To ensure that you are fully compensated for your construction accident injuries, there are many possible causes of action to explore. The first step is to establish payment of the medical bills, and then to determine all the possible defendants to the action.  This investigation requires a law firm with a vast amount of experience handling construction accident cases.  Wittenstein & Wittenstein has been handling construction accident cases for generations.  We know exactly what to do to get your case moving quickly and to ensure that you are fully compensated for your construction accident injuries.

WORKERS COMPENSATION:

Most construction workers in New York are covered by Workers Compensation Insurance, even if they are “undocumented” and/or “working off the books.”  These primary first party benefits quickly provide workers with lost earnings benefits and payments for their medical treatment.  Even though Workers Compensation Law in New York is the “exclusive remedy” for workers injured on the job, there are exceptions that may allow you to sue your employer.  If you have have suffered a “grave injury” or the employer intentionally harmed you, you may be eligible to sue your employer. For more information about Workers Compensation, click here.

THIRD PARTY CLAIMS:

Above and beyond the Workers Compensation Benefits are claims against any person or entity that had a part in causing the injury by their action or inaction.  For example, a negligent action might be for a truck supplying bricks to run into a worker, causing serious injuries.   Sometimes there are many possible defendants that were contractors or subcontractors on a site, who you might be able to sue depending on the contract between the parties.  If a visitor or vendor caused the injuries, you can sue them.  An experienced NYC Construction Accident Attorney will leave no stone unturned to seek avenues for full compensation.

PRODUCT LIABILITY:

Sometimes a construction accident is caused by a defective product.  For example, a hardhat that splits apart when something falls on it, and fails it fails to protect the worker.  A ladder, power tool or something at site malfunctions.  This is complicated because it must be proven that the defect occurred before the product left the factory.  Manufacturers are only responsible for defects that occurred at their factory, so it is a complicated matter (involving expert testimony) to prove product liability in these cases.  For more information about product liability, click here.

WRONGFUL DEATH:

Any personal injury claim may include an action for “wrongful death” which means that instead of suing for injuries, there is a lawsuit for negligence that caused a person’s death.  These actions can collect compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, lost future wages, lost inheritence (by the heirs) and other causes of action.  For more information on wrongful death actions, click here.

OSHA AND CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS

Inspection statistics show that more than 60% of construction sites have numerous safety violations!  100% of sites where wrongful death caused by falls occurred had safety violations.  It’s not surprising that most construction accidents are caused by safety violations.  Even though OSHA penalizes employers who violate safety laws, many employers have made the decision that paying the fines is less expensive than correcting the violations.  They even take into account what they have to pay out for insurance and lawyers and still don’t fix the violations.  As long as there continues to be laxity in enforcing CRIMINAL PENALTIES against employers who fail to provide workers with safe conditions, workers will continue to be killed and maimed at worksites in alarming numbers.

There are many provisions in New York’s labor laws that provide legal recourse for injured workers.  The most prominent is “The Scaffolding Law” which provides special protections for workers injured on ladders, scaffolds, slings, hoists, stays, hangers, irons, pulleys, blocks, ropes, braces and other types of construction-related devices.

TOP FOUR TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS

There are numerous causes of construction accidents such as explosions, toxic substances, collapses and other types of negligence that cause thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries each year in this country.  Experienced NYC construction accident attorneys know that most of the construction accidents in New York are caused by:

Objects Falling: Tools, debris, building materials or other items that fall on workers, including ceilings that collapse.

Electrocution: Electrical malfunctions including faulty wiring

Workers Falling: Sidewalk bridges, ladders, rigs and other construction set-ups that are unsafe, causing workers to fall

Falls — Injuries due to unsafe scaffolding, ladders, sidewalk bridges, etc.

Collapse/Compression — When workers are compressed or crunched to unstable supports

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ALL YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT?

The only way to know all of your rights under the law for your construction accident is to call an experienced NYC Construction Accident Attorney.  A construction accident lawyer can apply the law to the facts of your case, and advise you of your rights.

BUILDING COLLAPSES

CRANE ACCIDENTS

FORKLIFT ACCIDENTS

POWER TOOL ACCIDENTS

ELECTRICAL ACCIDENTS

ACCIDENTS FROM FALLING DEBRIS

DEFECTIVE SAFETY EQUIPMENT

FAILURE TO PROVIDE SAFETY EQUIPMENT

EXPLOSIONS

FIRES

LADDER ACCIDENTS

NAIL GUN ACCIDENTS

SCAFFOLD ACCIDENTS

IMPROPER MAINTENANCE OF SITE

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY WEATHER

EQUIPMENT RELATED ACCIDENTS

PRODUCT LIABILITY

RUN OVERS

TRENCH COLLAPSE

REPETITIVE MOTION INJURIES

HEAT STRESS

HYPOTHERMIA OR FROSTBITE

LEAD POISONING

ASBESTOS

BLACK LUNG

SILICOSIS

HEARING LOSS

PARALYSIS

PTSD

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES

AMPUTATIONS

FREE CONSULTATION
NO FEE UNLESS WE WIN

History of Construction Accidents

Sadly, despite efforts to regulate the industry, builders have found it more cost effective to pay fines than to employ safety measures.  This has resulted in a history of preventable fatalities on construction sites that is heartbreaking.  We learn in school about these great achievements, but little is told of the collateral damage to workers, as a result of an intentional disregard for safety.  This trend continues as construction projects continue to ignore safety protocols putting their workers at risk for fatal construction accidents.  Until there are criminal penalties imposed on builders, this trend is likely to continue.  The history of construction accidents is marred by a lack of concern for worker safety. Construction work is dangerous, but construction business developers could improve safety measures for their workers.  The problem is that safety is expensive.  Interestingly, skyscraper projects have the lowest rate of fatalities, possibly because of their high profile status.  There have been just over 80 deaths caused by skyscraper construction.  Bridges are the next lowest, with just over 90, probably for the same [...]

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