On Monday morning, November 11, 2019, at least four construction workers were injured, one seriously, in a scaffolding collapse accident at 50 Hudson Yards in New York City.
Police and FDNY responded to a call received around 7:30 a.m. about an incident in which four laborers working on a demolition project at Hudson Yards suddenly fell when the scaffolding collapsed beneath them. It is not yet clear what caused the accident as police continue to investigate.
The injured workers were taken to NYC Health + Hospitals, Bellevue Hospital, and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. One man is reported to have sustained serious, but not life-threatening injuries, while the three others suffer minor injuries.
We wish the victims quick and complete recoveries after this alarming incident.
Scaffolding accidents, unfortunately, account for an average of 4,500 injuries and over 60 deaths every year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). More than 65 percent of laborers in the construction industry use scaffolds regularly and are subject to the potential dangers associated with the equipment.
A variety of factors can lead to a scaffolding accident. Common causes include but are not limited to:
- Careless construction of the scaffold
- Poor quality materials
- Missing or malfunctioning fall safety systems
- Poorly conducted safety inspections
In New York, construction workers are protected by Labor Law 240, also known as the Scaffold Law, which dictates that all contractors and owners must provide employees with proper fall protection, scaffolding standing more than 20 feet from the ground must have a safety rail at least 38 to 45 inches tall, and all scaffolding must be constructed to hold four times the maximum weight required.
All laborers have a legal right to a safe work conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm. It is important that all workers are properly trained in their primary language before completing any work on a scaffold. If a construction company owner, contractor, foreman, or other site supervisor fails to obey safety laws and regulations resulting in a workplace injury, the worker may be able to receive compensation for their damages.
If an injured worker chooses to pursue legal action, they must be able to prove:
- There was some type of safety violation.
- There is a causal relationship between the safety violation and the accident that occurred.
If you have been seriously injured in a construction accident, it is in your best interest to contact a lawyer who can better understand the facts of your case. The NYC Scaffolding Accident Lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy have extensive experience in litigating construction accident cases. In one case, our attorneys won a $7,000,000 settlement for a union carpenter who sustained serious injuries after a metal clamp fell on him while he was dismantling a scaffold in Queens. In another notable case, our attorneys recovered a $6,000,000 settlement for a worker who fell from a scaffold and was not provided with any fall protection. Our lawyers were able to prove that the building owner and general contractor were 100% at fault for violating Labor Law §240(1).
Our attorneys understand the many dangers involved in construction work. If you or someone you know was injured in a construction accident, call the lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy at 212-736-5300 or fill out our online contact sheet.