Multiple People Injured After Collapse of Concrete Slab in Queens
Six people in Queens suffered injuries when a concrete slab reportedly collapsed at a construction site the morning of Monday, June 26. The accident occurred in Long Island City on 27th Street on the eighth floor of what will become an 18-story building.
At the time of the accidents, workers were pouring concrete from a truck down below when the form they were using suddenly collapsed. Most of the injuries occurred to the victims’ arms and legs. According to the Fire Department of New York, those injuries were not life threatening. Additional photos from the scene of the collapse showed significant damage to scaffolding and wood framing.
The New York City Department of Buildings issued an immediate stop-work order at the site and issued an aggravated violation to the contractor for failure to safeguard the work area.
Contractors are responsible for safety at construction sites
All contractors have an obligation to maintain reasonably safe construction sites and for abiding by all rules and regulations of the Department of Buildings, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and any other applicable regulatory agencies.
In most cases, injured construction workers can seek benefits through an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. However, if the worker can prove that the contractor violated a rule or regulation of work site safety , he or she could file a personal injury lawsuit to cover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages that workers compensation may not cover.
For further guidance on how you should proceed after suffering a workplace injury, meet with a skilled construction accident lawyer at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP.