Perhaps not surprisingly, it has been reported that in 2013, there were more than 15,000 pedestrian and bike riders injured in New York City traffic. Of those, over 150 people were fatally injured. In truth, anyone who has ridden in city traffic, probably would say the numbers must be higher. But aside from traffic accidents, New Yorkers simply walking to the nearest bodega or to work in the morning have to be on their guard for construction sites and the many hazards associated with them.
For example, in January of last year, an elderly worker way past retirement age, but insistent on staying active and productive, was busy working on a construction site when the floor above him gave way. He died due to massive head trauma.
Just last month a huge construction-saw blade came loose during use, and flew through a work site in Hell’s Kitchen, striking a woman as she walked by. Recently, a 380-foot crane fell onto seven construction workers in Queens – three were seriously injured.
New York City construction site accidents rose a whopping 31% from 2011-2012; climbing from 119 to 157. Injuries to pedestrians and construction workers jumped from 128 to 187 – that is a 46% hike!
Why the drastic increase? It has been reported that building inspections were cut nearly in half, leaving owners, managers and contractors to police themselves. That means fewer accidents are being reported, and therefore, fewer negligent individuals and corporations are paying the price of their negligence.
However, if you’ve been injured due to negligence at a
construction site, you might consider hiring a personal injury attorney. A civil lawsuit at least holds an individual or company responsible for not taking the necessary precautions to keep workers and pedestrians safe.
If you have been injured in a construction accident you should speak with an experienced personal injury trial attorney as soon as possible who can investigate the cause of your construction site accident, work with the necessary experts to prove negligence, and litigate your personal injury claim to trial against all the parties that may be responsible for your personal injuries. Waiting too long is not advisable, as witnesses could be difficult to find, or you may forget the facts as they happened.
