Working in the field of construction can be dangerous. There are many different ways that you can be injured on the job. However, the law also gives you multiple potential ways to seek compensation if you were hurt because you did not receive proper safety protection, were not working in a safe workplace, or were hurt due to a violation of safety regulations. With these many ways to pursue financial recovery, it is well worth your while to contact a knowledgeable New York construction accident attorney to discuss your case.
Sometimes, the law’s protections may be greater than you would normally think. Take, for example, the case of Luis, a construction worker whose job was delivering bundles of scaffolding materials. During one delivery to a group of workers on a sidewalk bridge, and after Luis removed two metal bands that secured two of the bundles, two other bands popped open. This caused the scaffolding frames inside those bands to fall over and hit Luis. With each bundle weighing between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds, the accident caused Luis to suffer significant injuries.
If you know only a bit about New York’s “Scaffold Law,” you might think that Luis’ case could be a difficult one to win. After all, Luis was not injured at the actual construction site but was hurt while delivering materials to a site. Additionally, Luis wasn’t hurt because he fell or because something fell on him from above.
This is an example of why it is important to consult legal counsel whenever you are hurt working at your construction job. The laws protecting workers are more complicated, and sometimes offer greater protections, than it might seem to someone without detailed legal knowledge.
Luis won because the case his legal counsel presented to the court was a valid claim for compensation under the “Scaffold Law.” The court opinion was clear that, in addition to workers injured in accidents that occur at construction sites, workers injured while delivering construction-related materials are protected by the law, and entitled to seek compensation, if the materials the worker was delivering were necessary for the construction project.
Additionally, the court stated that workers may be covered by the law even if they and the objects that hit them are on the same level. The law only requires that the accident be “elevation-related.” The area where Luis parked was on an incline. That meant that, when the two bands popped open on their own, and the contents fell out of the truck and onto Luis, they did so because the bundles “were capable of generating a significant amount of force,” and Luis got hurt “due to the application of the force of gravity on those bundles.”
Some of this information may seem very technical, but the primary thing that you should take away from this is that, if you work a construction job and you are hurt at work, it is worth your while to contact legal counsel and discuss your options. The skilled and attentive New York City construction injury attorneys at Arcia & Associates are here to help. Our hardworking attorneys have spent many years offering injured workers diligent representation and personalized attention as they strive to get back on their feet.
Contact us at 718-424-2222 to find out how we can assist you.