Injuries Due To Trench Accidents

Working in trenches is a dangerous way to earn a living. When trench walls collapse, workers can be buried under dirt or construction materials. They can suffer broken bones and head injuries and may suffocate. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the fatality rate for excavation work is 112 percent higher than the rate for general construction.

Know Your Rights: You May Be Entitled To More Than Workers’ Comp

If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a trench accident, you may have legal claims in addition to workers’ compensation.

The attorneys at the New York City law firm Arye, Lustig & Sassower, P.C., understand the catastrophic injuries that can happen from construction accidents, and we have experience representing clients in many kinds of injuries. We understand construction accidents like few other lawyers in the area.

Causes Of Trench Accidents

Federal, state and local laws require construction sites to have appropriate safety precautions in place. Despite these laws, construction accidents continue to happen. According to OSHA, trench and excavation accidents are most often caused by:

Lack of protective systems for workers
Failure to adequately shore up trenches
Failure to inspect trench and protective systems
Excavated material or spoils placed too close to the edge of a trench
Unsafe access to trenches

While cave-ins are the causes of accidents most feared by workers in trenches, other hazards abound. Workers may come into contact with underground utilities. They may suffer from a lack of oxygen or be exposed to toxic fumes. In short, workers face a wide variety of dangers in a trench.

Many of these accidents could be prevented with basic safety precautions. Workers should use protective systems in trenches, and they should always have a way to escape the trench within 25 feet. Spoils should be kept a safe distance from the edge of a trench, and trenches should be inspected regularly.

Contact Our Attorneys

Accidents and injuries happen despite safety requirements in trenches. If you or a loved one has been injured, our lawyers can evaluate your case for potential legal claims. In many cases, a personal injury claim can lead to money damages that workers’ compensation alone will not provide.

To learn more, call us locally at 212-732-4992, call us toll free at 800-574-4LAW or complete our contact form. We offer free initial consultations, and our construction accident cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not charge attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your claim. We serve clients throughout the region.

Case Results

Since 1965, we’ve recovered over $1 BILLION
on behalf of our clients. read more

$2.1 million
settlement

for 33-year old electrician who fell from ladder while attempting to fit heavy cable into crown box when cable sprung back and struck him, causing him to suffer left shoulder injury with impingement.

$1.6 million
settlement

for 38-year old electrician who slipped and fell on debris on stairway with resulting cervical herniated disc and aggravation of pre-existing arthritic changes.

$2.55 million
settlement

for 42-year old electrician who fell into an uncovered, unprotected hole and suffered a severe low back injury with herniated disc(s) that required surgery at L4-5 and L5-S1 levels.

$1.75 million
settlement

for 26-year old construction worker who fell through opening in roof and fractured his wrist, requiring surgery with open reduction and internal fixation, external fixation device, and eventual fusion.

$2.5 million
settlement

for 38-year old female electrician (with history of prior neck injury) who tripped on uneven Masonite protective floor covering, and suffered neck injury with herniated discs requiring cervical fusion.