In yet another New York City construction tragedy, a worker was killed by a vehicle on a job site on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. According to a Patch report, a 66-year-old worker was struck by a road saw on East 74th Street between First Avenue and York Avenue.
How common are construction deaths caused by vehicles like trucks and forklifts? Can anything more be done to protect workers from preventable errors on job sites?
Accidents by the numbers
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report for 2014, there were 241 fatal occupational injuries in New York State in 2014. More than one third of those deaths (83) were attributed to “Transportation incidents,” the category with the highest number. That’s more than the 48 deaths categorized under “Falls, slips, trips,” which usually account for the largest share of construction-specific fatalities.
As an industry, “Construction” had 50 of the 241 fatalities listed by BLS. In an OSHA report specific to New York City construction, there were 12 fatalities in 2014 and 18 in 2015. In January, US News reported that 2016’s 71 construction deaths in New York State was a 14-year high.
These numbers aren’t encouraging. Too many workers die preventable deaths in our city and our state in general.
If you have been injured
If you have experienced a serious construction injury in your family, help is available. It is important to obtain legal advice as soon as possible so you can understand and protect your rights.
You may be entitled to money damages through a third-party claim, a lawsuit brought against negligent parties. Every case is different, so make sure you discuss the details of your case with an experienced construction accident attorney.
