New York construction accidents and injuries have been at high levels for quite some time, and recent reports suggest that construction workers in the city continue to suffer serious andii fatal injuries while performing various tasks on construction sites across the boroughs. Data from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) reports that construction accident injuries and fatalities have risen in New York year after year, and construction deaths account for more than one-fourth of all job-related fatalities in New York City. That figure is significantly higher than the national average, to put it in perspective.
A recent report in The New York Times addresses the especially dangerous New York construction site at 20 Bruckner Boulevard, emphasizing that the construction deaths there could have been prevented. That construction is the deadliest in recent history in New York, and it should serve as a warning about construction site risks and the need to take safety measures seriously. Our New York construction accident attorneys can say more, and we can also assist you if you were injured on a construction site and need to file a claim for compensation.
Dangers at a Bronx Construction Site
The construction site located at 20 Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx is the deadliest construction site in New York in the twenty-first century. According to the report in The New York Times, the Department of Buildings started keeping electronic records of construction accident site injuries and deaths in 2003, and since then, “no other construction site in New York City has had this many separate fatal accidents.” The Department of Buildings shut down the construction site for almost two months after the second construction death occurred there, and inspectors have “issued numerous violations in connection with the deaths,” yet construction has pushed onward and workers have continued to be at risk.
The 20 Bruckner Boulevard site is a former ice house that is being renovated into a charter school. The deaths have resulted from elevator accidents, insufficient fall protection, and other safety violations. Fatalities have involved deadly crush injuries and falls from heights. In addition to the fatalities, other workers have suffered serious injuries that have required hospitalization. The work involved “clearing debris, taking down interior walls, power-washing the 19th-century brick, removing nearly every trace of the past,” according to the report.
Despite numerous citations, the construction work continues at 20 Bruckner Boulevard. However, the deaths and injuries that have occurred there should be a warning about safety hazards on construction sites and the pressing need to hold employers accountable.
Filing a Lawsuit for a Construction Accident Injury or Death
Injured construction workers, or family members of construction workers killed in fatal accidents, may be able to seek compensation for employer negligence by filing a lawsuit under New York Labor Law.
While most types of workplace injuries are compensable only through the workers’ compensation system, construction accident injuries and deaths are different. To be sure, workers and their families can hold construction site owners and employers accountable for injuries and deaths resulting from negligence by filing a lawsuit under Section 200, 240, or 241 of New York Labor Law. Whether the construction site employer has been previously cited for safety violations or not, it may be possible to hold that employer liable for injuries.
Contact a New York Construction Accident Lawyer
If you need help with a construction accident lawsuit, do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our New York construction accident attorneys to learn more about filing a claim. Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda PLLC today.
