We often talk about construction worker accidents and explain how construction workers are sometimes at risk for injuries that they may not know about. This is usually due to unexpected or unforeseen circumstances, and construction workers can take advantage of workers’ compensationn benefits for their injuries. But sometimes people are well aware of the risks and simply ignore them, and this could lead to more serious lawsuits. For construction workers who may not know about these dangerous conditions and circumstances, a simple construction job could turn into a life or death situation.
Such was the case recently in New York when a construction worker tragically fell from an elevator, plummeting nearly 25 stories to the ground. Preliminary reports of the scene told of two construction workers who were taking an elevator to the top of a hotel construction site, when the elevator stalled just below the 25th floor. One of the construction workers jumped to the 24th floor and landed safely, and the other slipped, unable to make the jump.
While this could be seen as a case of accidental death, further investigation revealed that the system providing electricity to the lift was installed without a permit. As a result, the elevator was known to be unsafe by some, possibly the site’s general contractor or owner. If any of these parties were aware of the dangerous elevator conditions and did not inform the workers, they could be liable for a wrongful death.
This is one example of how a construction site injury could be more than just an accident on the job. It could be a willful act of negligence on the part of someone responsible for ensuring the safety of the site, which could increase the amount of compensation to which victims are entitled.
Source: Daily News, “Construction worker who fell 24 stories to his death in Midtown was riding unsafe elevator powered by jerry-rigged electrical system,” Greg B. Smith, June 15, 2015