Construction Worker Dies in 42-Story Fall in SoHo
According to a New York Times Report, a construction worker who was pouring concrete at a condominium hotel in SoHo fell 42 floors to his death on Monday, January 14th. A second man was also thrown from the 42nd floor, but he was caught in a safety net that extends outward from the 40th floor. Authorities claim the construction accident occurred when a wooden mold used to set the concrete collapsed. The cause of the collapse was unclear, and remained under investigation Monday by the Fire Department and the city’s Department of Buildings.
Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Galvin said the worker who died was tamping wet concrete in wood molds, constructed of plywood and two-by-four beams. The wood molds collapsed, he said, and fell from the 42nd floor to the 40th floor, leaving a large gash at the southwest corner of the top of the building. It is unclear why one man was not stopped by the safety netting or by an even wider platform that is part of the structure on the lower floor, while a 2nd man was.
Construction accidents in the United States are an all too common occurrence. When it comes to on-the-job deaths, construction accidents rank third behind two other high risk industries, mining and agriculture. For every 100,000 construction workers in the U.S., 15 die due to on the job injury. No matter how stringent the safety standards are regarding construction, all construction laborers are at risk every day while on the job. New York State law prohibits employees from suing their employers for on the job accidents. Contractors, architects, manufacturers and property owners may be held liable for workplace injuries or wrongful deaths that take place at the construction site.
The construction accident attorneys at WRS Law obtained an $18 million verdict on behalf of a 42 year old construction laborer and his wife. The laborer fell three stories from a defective scaffold and suffered comminuted fractures of his left calcaneus, osteomyelitis in the left heel and a painful neuroma, in addition to other injuries. (Click here to read more.) In another case we obtained a settlement of $2.95 million for a 38 year old bricklayer who sustained extensive back and neck injuries requiring surgery. (Click here for more information.) WRS Partner Kenneth Halperin also obtained a $1,300,000 settlement for the Estate of a 59 year old man who was killed in an explosion at a construction site. (Click here for more information.)
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident contact the New York Construction Accident Attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro.
