Another construction accident occurred in New York recently, and one worker was seriously injured. The construction crew was working on demolishing an old building when part of the building collapsed. Luckily, no one else was injured in the construction accident.
New York City declared that demolition on the building was supposed to start on Dec. 15, and it is unclear why there was such a delay. The building was supposedly behind scaffolding, and it was being razed by the construction crew. As the crew worked on the demolition, part of the building collapsed between the second and third floors. Additionally, the collapse caused scaffolding to fall to the street below.
A school bus driver parked his vehicle beneath the scaffolding while he waited for the children to finish eating at a nearby restaurant as part of a field trip. The falling debris damaged the bus, but no one was injured. However, it is clear that one of the workers suffered serious injuries, but what exactly caused the injuries is unclear at this time since the accident is still being investigated. Additionally, the extent of his injuries as well as his current medical condition are also unclear.
Since the worker was injured in a construction accident while on the job, it is likely that he will be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. However, if the investigation into the accident reveals that a third party, such as the manufacturer of a defective product, is to blame for the man’s injuries, then the man could also pursue a separate New York personal injury suit. In the suit, he could attempt to claim damages, including pain and suffering as well as lost wages in an effort to receive monetary compensation apart from any workers’ comp benefits granted.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, “One Is Hurt in Partial Collapse of New York City Building“, Joseph De Avila and Josh Barbanel, Feb. 25, 2015
