Construction has become the deadliest job in New York City. Statistics show accidents, injuries, and deaths are on the rise. A public outcry in New York City is demanding answers from the building department about how it is going to protect construction workers in the Big Apple and reduce the number of wrongful deaths and fatalities. Our Manhattan construction accident lawyers have seen countless tragedies and injuries caused by dangerous worksites.
On August 27, 2019, a partial collapse of a building under construction in the Bronx triggered an explosive avalanche of concrete and debris onto workers, killing a hardworking father of five and injuring his cousin and nephew as well as three friends. The third floor of a proposed four-story building on E. 208th St. near Steuben Ave. in Norwood began to crumble and pancaked onto the second floor just before noon, trapping Segundo Huerta, 48, in the rubble, officials said. First responders were able to pull him from crush of debris, but he could not be saved, officials said. Five other family and friends who worked with him were miraculously able to escape and initially treated by medics at the scene. The Department of Buildings was immediately on the scene and began a probe, but then handed it over to the city’s Department of Investigation.
Construction is the most dangerous form of work in the United States currently and almost one out of five workplace deaths occur at a construction site. Our country relies greatly on the construction trade and commerce and industry would come to a halt without the dedicated efforts of our construction workers.
Our New York construction injury lawyers know that we must take care of those who work in dangerous careers. Our construction injury attorneys fight hard to protect our clients and their families in the event that the negligent actions of another worker or the failure of an employer to follow proper safety protocol results in the death of an employee. If your loved one died due to injuries suffered on the job, you are entitled to file a claim for wrongful death if the injuries were the result of negligence or there was a violation of New York’s Labor Law.
