When work-related incidents lead to fatalities, the surviving families of the victims may have many struggles to face. Construction accidents are unfortunate incidents that often result in such outcomes, and in some cases, the accidents may have been no fault of those killed. Equipment could malfunction or other factors could come into play, but nonetheless, the incidents are no less harrowing.
It was recently reported that a construction accident in New York resulted in the deaths of two workers. The individuals were part of a crew working on a building when a 6,500 lb beam fell from a crane. The beam was being hoisted four stories, and after becoming disengaged, it hit a 43-year-old man who was working as a flag person. The beam then landed on the cab of the crane, killing the 47-year-old man operating it.
Reports stated that the incident could have been caused by the crane malfunctioning. The company that owned the crane had reportedly been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the past due to not properly attending to ground preparations for their crane. The investigation into this recent incident is currently underway.
The families of the two men killed in this incident are undoubtedly facing many emotional and financial difficulties in the aftermath. Construction accidents can often lead to medical expenses or funeral costs and leave families without needed income. If interested, the surviving families of these New York men may wish to find out whether they could qualify for workers’ compensation benefits in efforts to ease some of their financial burdens. A lawyer could also help determine whether grounds exist for third party wrongful death claims as a result of the tragedy.
Source: amny.com, “Crane accident in Briarwood, Queens leaves 2 dead, FDNY says“, Lauren Cook, Nov. 22, 2016
