New York construction worker hospitalized after 20-foot fall

Friday, 19 June 2009

A New York construction worker at work on a high-rise near the World Trade Center site fell 20 feet and had to be rushed to the hospital yesterday, the Daily News reports.

The 40-year-old was working at a Barclay Street construction site at the time of the construction accident. Though the extent of his injuries is unclear, the News reports that he did not lose consciousness at any time during the accident.

Early findings by investigators indicate the wet and windy weather we have had over the past few weeks was responsible for the accident.

New York construction accident lawyers have long known and warned construction workers about the dangers of doing construction work in inclement weather. While employers will surely balk at completely stopping work at a site for all but the worst weather, in certain situations workers may be able to insist that they do work on the interior of a site, or at least near the ground, during dangerous weather conditions.

If a construction worker's employer still decides to make that worker do dangerous work in nasty weather, the worker is put in a very unfortunate position. Many are faced with either performing work they know is dangerous or potentially losing their jobs. It is a choice no worker should ever have to make, but in the increasingly sour New York construction market it is a choice many employers feel they are able to impose with impunity.

[ Daily News]