Construction sites can pose many risks to the employees who work there. However, these work sites can pose serious dangers to pedestrians as well. A 37-year-old woman was recently injured in a New York construction site accident, and it cost her lost her life.
The construction site is located in Greenwich Village where a hospital was closed down in 2010, and a condominium development is taking its place. Around 6 p.m., the woman was walking by the site on West 12th Street when she was struck by a 4-foot-by-8-foot piece of plywood. The debris struck her on her right side, and the impact was so great that it forced her against the side of the building.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene, but the woman was pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital. The exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined, and an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is underway. There is some speculation that the plywood could have been knocked loose by strong winds, but it is also possible that the worker responsible for checking the security of the plywood failed to do so.
As the woman’s family continues to mourn the sudden loss of their loved one, they may also begin to examine some of their legal options. When a pedestrian is injured or killed in a construction site accident, the cause of the accident must be determined. If the accident is found to have been caused by the negligence of another party, then the woman’s family may choose to file a New York wrongful death suit in an effort to be reimbursed for monetary damages sustained.
Source: CBS New York, “Stop Work Order Issued After Woman Is Killed By Falling Debris In Greenwich Village“, March 18, 2015
