Each year in New York City, construction workers are hurt by falling objects that shouldn’t have fallen. Some of these incidents prove to be fatal, like one in Chelsea last December when a loose piece of scaffolding killed a 34-year-old worker.
In March, another worker was catastrophically injured by a falling object on a construction site, this time in Williamsburg, according to the New York Daily News. An epidemic of dangerous conditions and disregard for worker safety allows this tragic pattern to continue with inadequate accountability for those responsible.
Head trauma, then a heart attack
The worker, who was not identified by the News, went into cardiac arrest after being struck in the head with a beam on Hooper Street in Brooklyn. The job site, which also wasn’t identified in the report, is located near the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.
According to the report, a medic who treated the injured worker stated that the worker stopped breathing, apparently after suffering significant head trauma. After performing CPR on the injured man, he was taken to Woodhull Hospital; it was unclear whether he survived.
If you or a loved one is hurt on the job
Sometimes accidents seem to happen for no reason. In many other instances, though, the injury could have been prevented. Dangerous conditions on job sites are largely preventable — when contractors and project owners are willing to do the right thing.
If you or someone you care about was hurt while working construction, you owe it to yourself to get legal advice about the situation. You may be entitled to money damages through a third-party claim, a lawsuit brought against negligent parties.
