Personal Injury Law

CONSTRUCTION WORKER DIES IN BROOKLYN WHEN SCAFFOLD COLLAPSES

In Clinton Hill, a 42 year-old man, Jose Palacios, from Queens, trained as an accountant but working in construction for higher pay, died last month when he fell 12 stories after the scaffolding on which he was standing collapsed, according to the New York Times. A second man, whose name was not released, was taken to the King?s County Hospital in serious condition after falling from the same scaffold to the roof of a garage. Yet a third man was able to jump to safety on the roof. While an investigation is ongoing it appears, according to authorities, that Mr. Palacios was standing on an 18-foot-high tubular scaffold applying stucco when the scaffold collapsed beneath him. Safety netting was not in place when the Brooklyn accident took place, as is required by city law, because the Brooklyn project was nearly completed.

Wind gusts of up to 49 mph were recorded by the National Weather service, and the Department of Buildings had issued warnings to buildings and contractors earlier in the day instructing them to either, secure construction materials and tools, or to cancel work until winds subsided for fear of a dangerous construction accident.

Kate Lindquist, spokeswoman for the Buildings Department, indicated that Clinton Court Development, the Clinton project?s developer, had been cited for six violations last November.

Full post as published by New York Injury Talk Blog on February 04, 2008 (boomark / email).