Staten Island Sanitation Worker Suffers Foot Injuries On the Job
A worker was seriously injured at Staten Island’s Fresh Kills landfill after a bulldozer ran over his legs. According to this news report, 61-year-old Charles Kish was airlifted to a local hospital by a medical helicopter. Kish reportedly suffered serious toe damage to his left foot and a laceration to his right leg. Kish was apparently getting out of the small “swamp cat” in the landfill when he was run over by the heavy equipment. He is a 20-year worker at the Sanitation Department.
Although many state and federal regulations as well as industry standards require employers to implement a wide variety of safety measures, every year thousands of workers are killed or seriously injured on the job. Employees who are injured or disabled on the job are entitled to receive workers compensation benefits. However, these benefits are hardly sufficient to compensate an injured worker for current and future medical expenses and loss of earnings.
In many cases, employees are able to file what are known as “third party claims” where they can sue a party other than an employer – for example, a sub contractor or the manufacturer of a defective product, whose negligence contributed to or caused the accident and resulting injury. In third party claims, workers can get additional damages for pain and suffering, wage loss and medical expenses. If you or a loved one has suffered severe injuries on the job, please call a New York workers compensation attorney at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro to find out more about your rights and legal options.
