Another Worker Injured at WTC Construction Site
By: Robert Valletti, Esq.
As Tower 4 of the new World Trade Center, endearingly named the “Freedom Tower,” nears completion in downtown Manhattan, the number of injuries sustained due to the ongoing construction continues to rise along with the height of the tower.
A New York City man who was involved in the construction suffered a fall from height while at the site recently, ending up impaled on a piece of steel rebar. He was taken to Bellvue Hospital for emergency medical treatment and was listed in critical condition. The injured worker is expected to survive from the injuries sustained.
A growing cause for concern as the tower grows is the amount of money spent on covering civil law suits for workers such as this man who sustain injuries during the construction process. Currently, the cost of the project is topping $15 Billion dollars, and as the law suits concerning falls from height, falling objects, improperly secured equipment and other equipment malfunctions begin to pile up, construction companies involved in worker on the new World Trade Center will attempt to push these excess costs onto other parties, like contractors and owners, to cover the money paid out for their share of the liability.
Currently, workers in New York who are injured on the job generally do not have the right to sue their employers, having to instead rely on the workers’ compensation system to cover medical expenses and recoup a portion of their lost wages.
New York, on the other hand, has laws specifically designed to protect construction workers injured due to elevation differentials at the workplace, be it because of workers falling from such heights or because of falling objects causing injuries. These laws, commonly refered to as the “Scaffold Law” by those familiar with the business, are codified in New York Labor §§240 and 241. These laws protect workers by imposing strict liability on project owners and general contractors (and even a few other entities) for injuries and deaths resulting from falls from elevated heights, enabling a worker to file law suits against other parties responsible for the safety failures at the site instead of only being able to collect compensation from their employers.
If you have been injured while working at a construction site, call the Construction Site Accident Attorneys at 1-888-GINARTE today. You may be entitled to money for your injuries. We have 25 experienced Construction Site Accident attorneys ready to get started on your case today. Put our 150 years of combined experience to work for you!
