As the New York City skyline expands with large, beautiful buildings, so does the list of deceased and injured construction workers whose safety simply wasn’t a priority to those in power. More technology and more money than ever don’t seem to have made much of a dent in the danger. In an age where many one-bedroom apartments sell for more than a million dollars, some workers in the city feel like their lives aren’t valued.
Some recent statistics help illustrate this ongoing problem. The New York Post recently published some disturbing numbers regarding construction injuries and deaths.
The wrong kind of growth
According to the Post, the New York City Department of Buildings issued a record 168,243 construction permits in 2017. (The number of construction workers, over 45,000, was also the highest ever.) The first seven-month period of 2018, during which eight construction workers died, was twice as deadly as the same period for 2017, which saw four deaths.
While some city and state leaders are making efforts to stem the tide of harm, we have yet to see meaningful results. Overall, construction injuries have increased by a significant 17 percent for the same periods from 2017 to 2018.
Has your family experienced an accident?
A serious injury can cause physical, social, emotional and financial hardships. If your family has been directly affected by a construction injury or death, talk to an experienced construction injury attorney about your legal rights. You may be able to obtain money damages through a third-party claim, a lawsuit that can be used to hold negligent parties responsible.
