New York City construction accident lawyers can provide representation in circumstances where a scaffolding collapse causes harm to victims. Unfortunately, scaffolding collapses occur far too frequently, causing a substantial number of construction site injuries and causing a substantial number of fatalities on construction sites.
Both construction workers and pedestrians who are near to the construction site are at risk when such a collapse occurs, and the injuries are often serious because of falling construction equipment or because of a fall from scaffolding.
Just recently, News 4 New York wrote of an incident in which scaffolding collapsed in SoHo, resulting in injuries. This incident was one of many that has occurred in recent years as New York experiences a building boom.
Scaffolding Accident in SoHo Causes Injuries
News 4 New York reported that the scaffolding collapse occurred on a Sunday. The scaffolding was located at Broadway and Prince Street. The incident reportedly sent debris across the street, with videos and photographs showing large metal bars and pieces of wood scattering across the area as a result of the collapse.
When the collapse occurred, the debris and pieces of scaffolding that went flying reportedly caused injury to five people. One of the videos of the incident shows that bystanders ran to help after the incident, including frantically removing scaffolding debris from a pile. The severity of the injuries was not fully known at the time of the incident, and at least one of the victims was reportedly seen being taken away on a stretcher. However, police did indicate that none of the people who were hurt as a result of the scaffolding collapse experienced major or life-threatening injuries.
It was not clear at the time of the incident exactly what caused the scaffolding collapse. A wind advisory was in effect at the time of the incident for much of the Tri-state area, so the wind may have been the reason the scaffolding collapse occurred.
An investigation by the Department of Buildings was launched in order to determine what caused the scaffolding to fall. However, a city council member expressed concern that the scaffolding had been left up instead of being taken down in a timely manner. Had the scaffolding been taken down, it would not have been at this location to collapse and cause harm.
In this particular case, it was not construction workers hurt by the collapse, but was passerby who happened to be present when the collapse occurred. Often, it is construction workers who suffer harm.
The process for obtaining compensation from those responsible for a scaffolding collapse can vary depending upon whether the injury was a work-related one or not.
New York City construction accident lawyers can provide representation to anyone hurt in a construction accident, whether the incident occurs while working or occurs when passing by a construction site when an accident occurs. Victims should consult with an experienced attorney for help as soon as possible after an accident so they can take the right steps necessary to obtain compensation for losses.