Despite the safety regulations that federal and state authorities mandate, lives continue to be lost on building sites in New York. One of the most recent construction workers’ accidents happened in Brooklyn on a recent Wednesday. It claimed the life of a 47-year-old employee of a building contractor.
According to a report by the New York City Fire Department, the worker was trapped when a retaining wall collapsed. Reportedly six workers who were clearing out the foundation on the construction site at about 1:30 p.m. were caught unawares when the 20-foot wall collapsed onto them. Five men managed to get to safety, but the sixth worker was buried under tons of rubble.
FDNY says rescue efforts were suspended due to heavy rain that caused instability on the site. Before ending the search on Wednesday night, workers try to clear away the rubble by digging with their bare hands. When that became too risky their efforts to pinpoint the buried worker included dogs, listening devices and tiny cameras, but no signs of life could be detected. Ultimately, a vacuum truck sucked out the masses of debris to allow firefighters to retrieve the deceased worker’s body on the following day.
When loved ones go off to work never to return due to fatal construction workers’ accidents, it is understandably traumatic for surviving family members. Although they might be eligible to claim death benefits through the New York workers’ compensation insurance program, the process could be overwhelming at such a challenging time. Many in similar circumstances rely upon the services of an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to navigate the claims process for them.
