The holiday weekend turned tragic when Harry Ramnauth, a 67-year-old security guard, was killed after a 3,000-pound glass panel tipped over and fell on him.
The accident occurred at the Central Park Tower, a skyscraper construction project which will be 1,550 feet tall when completed, at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 26, 2018. According to FDNY Deputy Chief Tom Currao in an interview given to NY Daily News, construction workers quickly extricated Ramnauth and got him into a waiting ambulance.
Currao estimated that there were “about 40 first responders” there to provide treatment within minutes of the accident, and a cardiopulmonary resuscitation had to be performed. Sadly, Ramnauth, a Bronx resident, was declared dead at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital.
A 27-year-old construction worker who was attempting to rescue Ramnauth fractured his right foot, according to police, and was also hospitalized. As a result of this incident, the Department of Buildings issued a stop work order to the construction site, as well as a violation for “failing to safeguard” the work site. It’s unclear why the glass pane tipped over at this time.
This deadly and senseless accident is another reminder of the importance of taking all possible safety measures to prevent accidents on construction sites. As of March 31, 2018, six workers have been killed in New York construction accidents this year, according to the NY Daily News.
The dangers posed by heavy objects that could fall and seriously injure workers and other passersby are well-documented. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists the Fatal Four hazards in the construction industry which cause the majority of fatal accidents year after year. These are:
- Falls
- Struck by Object
- Electrocutions
- Caught-in/between*
(*Includes deaths caused by being caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects, and struck, caught or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material)
OSHA says that preventing accidents resulting from these hazards would save the lives of roughly 631 American workers every year. When big-picture statistics such as that are illustrated by tragic stories such as Harry Ramnauth’s, the immense responsibility which employers and contractors have in preventing construction accidents comes into sharp focus. Victims and families who have lost loved ones to fatal work accidents can find out if they will be able to hold contractors or other third parties responsible for the heartbreak and damages they have suffered.
The attorneys at Block O’Toole & Murphy have dedicated their careers to fighting for the rights of accident victims in New York. Our law firm specializes in construction injury litigation and has recovered top verdicts and settlements for survivors who lost loved ones to fatal construction accidents.
To learn more about our legal services, visit the Construction Accidents portion of our site. Our lawyers fight tirelessly on behalf of clients who were seriously harmed or who have lost loved ones to construction accidents. While we can’t undo the devastation caused by a serious accident, our attorneys can and will fight for every dollar that victims are entitled to under the law.
Select results include:
- $12,000,000 settlement for a Manhattan worker who suffered serious orthopedic and neurologic injuries in a fall
- $10,875,000 settlement for a Brooklyn worker who required multiple surgeries for serious internal injuries
- $7,400,000 settlement for a sheet metal worker who required spinal fusion surgery at the L5/S1 level as well as a spinal cord stimulator
- $7,300,000 settlement after a construction worker was injured while trying to remove a 10,000 pound steel beam
- $7,000,000 settlement for a 25-year-old construction worker who was seriously injured while trying to dismantle a scaffold
To speak with a Block O’Toole & Murphy lawyer today, please call 212-736-5300 or fill out our contact form.