Tragedy occurred at a Staten Island construction site last Friday, August 10, 2018.
50-year-old Carlos Gabrielli from Linden, New Jersey and other crew members were working to install sewers at a construction site in Westerleigh, Staten Island.
At around 11:26am, Gabrielli was using a chainsaw to cut a pipe when he slipped and cut his hand and throat against the saw. According to the NYPD, he suffered a deep laceration to his throat, resulting in severe blood loss.
His coworkers took off their shirts and pressed them against his throat in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. A witness told SILive that Gabrielli was “yelling…in a lot of pain.”
He was transported to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton where he was pronounced dead.
In the aftermath, a spokesperson for the Department of Design and Construction (DCC) said that the company was “heartbroken and extend [their] deepest condolences to the family.” The DCC was managing the construction job for the Department of Environmental Protection.
“No loss of life is acceptable in our work,” the DDC spokesperson said. “DDC is investigating and will cooperate with any other investigations to determine this incident’s cause.”
The contractor for the job, EE Cruz, declined commenting on the incident.
We are horrified and saddened by this tragedy and offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
Unfortunately, deaths in the construction industry happen all too often in New York. In 2016 alone, a staggering 71 construction workers died on the job in New York State. New York is the thirteenth safest state in terms of occupational fatalities, yet it is one of the top ten most dangerous states for construction workers.
This recent tragedy is one of three work-related accidents in Staten Island last week. In another construction-related incident, a worker suffered serious leg injuries when a crane overturned at the Reynolds Shipyard.
More investigation is needed to determine the cause of last Friday’s incident, including whether or not everything was being done to ensure that the workers were provided with a safe work environment. New York Labor Laws offer certain legal protections to construction workers who are harmed by entities responsible for failing to provide employees a safe place to work.
If you or a loved one was hurt in a construction accident, you may be able to claim compensation via a third party personal injury lawsuit. To learn more about your legal rights, please call 212-736-5300 or fill out our Contact Form, and a lawyer will reach out to you shortly.
Nothing can undo the devastation of a serious work injury or work-related death. However, our law firm endeavors to help our clients regain dignity and peace of mind after horrifying accidents caused by another party’s negligence. To date, we’ve recovered over 90 construction accident verdicts and settlements exceeding $1 million each, including a $4,475,000 settlement in a tragic case for children of a construction worker killed at a New York City job site and a $1,150,000 settlement for a worker injured in a saw blade accident.
Select construction accident results for clients who suffered catastrophic injuries include:
- $12,000,000 settlement for a tunnel worker who fell into a ventilation shaft at a construction site in Manhattan
- $10,875,000 jury verdict in a Brooklyn case for a union worker who suffered serious internal injuries after an on-the-job fall
- $7,400,000 settlement for a worker with serious injuries requiring multiple surgeries and a spinal cord stimulator after he fell from the roof
- $7,300,000 recovery for a construction worker who sustained an arm amputation after a demolition accident
- $7,000,000 settlement in a Queens case for a carpenter who was hurt while he was dismantling a scaffold
To learn more about our results, visit the Construction Accident Verdicts and Settlements portion of our website. To speak with one of our attorneys today, please call: 212-736-5300