June 1, 2010

New York City Crane Accident Causes Significant Damage

The Huffington Post reports that a construction crane collapsed in New York and hit a 25-story building on Maiden Lane near Wall Street. When the crane crashed into the 23rd floor, debris scattered. Fortunately in this incident, there were no reported injuries. Crane accidents at New York construction sites are a common occurrence and very often, workers, residents and even pedestrians may be seriously injured or even killed as a result.

The most common causes of crane accidents in NY range from lack of training of the crane operators to crane instability. Defective cranes and improper equipment maintenance can also lead to fatal or potentially serious crane accidents.

Construction workers put their well-being at risk every day on the job. New York law has many safety regulations and standards in place to help protect construction workers from being injured in wide range of accidents. If you work on construction sites, you should know that New York law prevents workers from suing their employers. Injured workers can, however, pursue compensation from architects, contractors, equipment manufacturers and property owners, in addition receiving workers’ compensation benefits from their employer.

If you have been injured in a New York crane accident, the New York crane accident injury lawyers at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro LLP can help. We deal with construction injuries, crane accidents and other personal injury cases. Call us at 212-986-7353 for a free consultation and comprehensive evaluation of your construction accident claim.

March 6, 2009

New York Construction Crane Worker Commemorated

The website ny1.com reported in an article on October 30, that relatives of Ramadan Kurtaj from New York and beyond gathered to pay homage at the scene of the crane accident in New York that ended his life. Family members laid flowers and a wreath in his memory. Located on 91st and First Avenue, a construction crane came crashing down on Kurtaj killing him along with crane operator Donald Leo.

Kurtaj family attorney Susan Karten said, “This crane shouldn't have been on the street because it was 24 years old. There are signs and different reports saying that there was fatigue. And this is not the kind of equipment that should be used in a city that’s state of the art in every other respect but not with respect to the lives of construction workers.”

Karten indicated that the family would be filing suit seeking damages from the crane company as well as the general contractor. Furthermore they are requesting that the District Attorney and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration make public their findings into this dreadful work related accident.

Continue reading "New York Construction Crane Worker Commemorated " »