New Jersey Injury Attorney Blog

A 26-year-old Edison man was killed on August 11, 2009 during a bridge construction accident in New Jersey. The man was hit on the head at the Conrail freight crossing on Blair Road in Avenel by a 1,500 pound steel plate that fell about five or six feet after slipping from its chains while being lowered by a back hoe. The man was found unconscious and bleeding at the bottom of a trench at the construction site and, though first responders performed CPR, was later pronounced dead at the hospital. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration official reported to the scene and it is unknown at this time as to why the steel plate’s chains came loose.

Construction workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in our country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2007 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, even though construction industry deaths are on the decline, the construction industry continues to be responsible for the most deaths sustained by employees in the private sector. Based on the report, the 5 percent drop in construction fatalities occurring from 2006 to 2007 (1,239 to 1,178) was about the same as the decrease for all fatal work injuries.

Continue reading "Woodbridge Township Construction Accident Kills Worker" »

Posted by Lependorf & Silverstein | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Construction Accident , On the Job Injury , Personal Injury , Workers Compensation , Wrongful death

Bookmark:

A mycentraljersey.com article reported that a 35-year-old construction worker fell 30 feet from a Montgomery Township home as he was working on its roof. Investigators at scene said that the worker fell after trying to adjust scaffolding attached to the exterior of a second-story window. He was found lying on the ground on top of construction debris, and was conscious when emergency personnel arrived. The construction worker is said to be in stable condition, but fractured both his neck and femur during the fall. Further investigation into the construction accident in New Jersey is still being conducted by the Montgomery Township Detective Bureau and OSHA.

Construction site fall injuries can lead to paralysis, brain injury, spinal injury, and even death, especially when scaffolds, towers, tall buildings, roofs, or ladders are involved. Being injured in a construction accident not only inflicts catastrophic injuries that can take years to recover from, on top of the extreme amount of pain and suffering one feels during the accident, but creates financial burdens as well, particularly those costs brought on by the accident, such as medical bills and physical therapy fees that can pose difficult for victims and families to successfully manage.

Continue reading "Montgomery Township Construction Accident Injures Roof Worker" »

Posted by Lependorf & Silverstein | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Construction Accident , On the Job Injury , Personal Injury , Workers Compensation

Bookmark:

A Hudson County jury has awarded Newark resident Silvano Santos $6 million as compensation for severe wrist injuries in a New Jersey construction accident four years ago, the Jersey Journal reports. The construction accident happened on January 12, 2005 when Santos slipped on ice and fell from a second story platform through an open hole that was cut for stairs on to a cement ground floor. The guard rail that had apparently been placed around the hole had been removed to build a wall, but there was no alternative safety device such as a harness, which is required by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

Santos suffered a shattered right wrist and is still unable to bend his wrist or hold anything heavy. He also suffers sever daily pain, his attorneys say. Santos was unable to work for four months after the accident. Now he is left with a significant permanent disability to the right hand and wrist.

Santos worked for the now-defunct New Way Construction that was hired by subcontractor All-Tech Inc. to do carpentry work at the site. The general contractor, Baker Residential, and All-Tech were eventually held liable for the accident and Santos' injuries. OSHA officials said they had no record of the construction accident in New Jersey. A local official also said that the accident was never reported, as required, to the Secaucus Construction Code Enforcement Department.

Continue reading "Man Awarded $6 Million for New Jersey Construction Accident" »

Posted by Lependorf & Silverstein | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Construction Accident , Workers Compensation

Bookmark: