According to The New York Times, a worker believed to be in his 40’s died last week when he was involved in a scaffolding accident at the Dream New York hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The man, who was working for Alpha General Contracting of New York, had been doing work on the hotel’s façade when he fell approximately 80 feet through a portion of the scaffolding where wooden planks had apparently fallen away or been removed. The man landed on the sidewalk shed covering the front entrance of the hotel. He was pronounced dead at the Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The hotel, which is in an 1895 Beaux-Arts building between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, opened in 2004. It had permits to perform facade work on its exterior, according to the city’s Department of Buildings. The department issued a stop-work order and a citation for failure to safeguard persons or property affected by construction operations.
Investigating the NY Construction Accident
The investigation into the cause of the construction accident uncovered evidence that the man on the scaffolding had been working without a harness or any other fall protection device. Witnesses who were working in the area at the time of the accident reported that the man appeared to fall through a section of scaffolding where planks were missing. Scaffolding generally has a floor surface that is made of wood planks. If the planks are not secured properly to the scaffolding, the planks can slip out of place or fall away entirely, leaving gaps in the scaffolding floor.
These situations can obviously create grave dangers for workers. In the present case, the risk to the worker was further compounded by the fact that he was working eight-floors up without a harness. The law requires that companies provide their workers with fall protection devices like harnesses. If this worker had been working with a harness, this accident may not have been fatal.
New York Work Injuries
The Dream hotel worker undoubtedly went to work on the day of the accident expecting to do his job and then to return home at the end of the day. Every worker should be able to expect that he will be able to complete his work in safety and return to his home at the end of the day. What happened to the worker at the Dream hotel was a tragedy that undoubtedly will cause permanent pain and loss in the lives of the worker’s family, friends, and loved ones.
A thorough investigation is necessary in order to determine the cause of the accident. If the worker’s death was caused by the negligence of the hotel, the Alpha General Contracting Company, or another third party, then justice requires that the responsible party be held responsible.
Speak to an Experienced New York Personal Injury Attorney
The highly skilled New York construction accident lawyers of the Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Brown, LLP, have been successfully representing clients in personal injury matters since 1937. Contact Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown right away, if you have been injured in a construct site accident at (212) 425-1999 or (718) 875-3550 to schedule a free initial consultation.