The Jersey Journal reported that a Jersey City worker was seriously injured in a construction site accident after he fell from a scaffold. The 31-year-old man was walking on scaffolding at a job site when a board, of which the scaffolding was constructed, gave way, causing him to fall. The victim displayed signs of having suffered back injuries from the fall. Witnesses said the man fell about 16 feet.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), studies show that 25 percent of workers injured in scaffolding accidents in the United States have not received the proper safety training. OSHA studies have also found that 77 percent of scaffolds were not equipped with guardrails in order to prevent falls. OSHA also estimates that if safety standards were followed, as many as 50 lives could be saved each year, and, 4,500 accidents could be prevented.
The most common dangers associated with scaffolding include falls from elevation, scaffold collapse, being struck by falling or flying objects, and, electrocution due to proximity of power lines to the scaffold.
If you are a construction worker in New Jersey who has been injured by someone else’s carelessness or negligence, you may be able to hold the responsible parties liable for the resulting harm. An injured construction worker and/or their loved ones can seek compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, physical pain and suffering, permanent disability, or, wrongful death. Even if you are collecting workers’ compensation payments, you may still be able to commence a 3rd party action against a subcontractor, or, the provider of faulty equipment responsible for your accident.
If you have questions with regard to your potential New Jersey construction accident case, call the experienced NJ construction accident injury lawyers at Blume Forte for a no-cost consultation. Call us at 973-845-4421, and, we will evaluate your potential case to determine if there are any viable claims which can be made.
Source: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2010/01/a_construction_worker_is_injur.html