Construction workers in New York face risks on a daily basis. Falls, falling objects, inadequate safety precautions, negligent coworkers, and various other risks can lead to serious on-the-job injuries. These injuries can lead to substantial medical bills and other losses.
While construction workers are at risk for various types of injuries, some injuries are more common on job sites than others. According to a recent article published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the single most common type of construction site injury is the “struck-by injury.”
If you have been injured on the job site, you may be entitled to more than just workers’ compensation. Lawyers at Dreyer Boyajian LLP have extensive experience handling building site accident claims throughout New York.
As NIOSH explains:
“These injuries occur when a worker is struck by a moving vehicle, equipment, or by a falling or flying object. For construction workers, the risk of nonfatal struck-by injuries is twice the risk of all other industries combined.”
According to NIOSH, “Struck-by injuries are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and the second most common cause of fatalities among construction workers.” (Falls are the leading cause of death on construction sites.)
Struck-by injuries can occur under a broad range of circumstances. According to NIOSH, building materials are the most common source of these injuries, followed by hand tools (both electric and manual), scrap materials, construction site waste, and debris.
NIOSH data also indicate that the most common cases of struck-by injuries on construction sites are:
Struck-by injuries can also involve collisions between vehicles and construction workers. According to NIOSH, about half of all fatal struck-by injuries involve accidents in which construction workers are hit by moving vehicles. Many of these accidents result in non-fatal injuries as well, and in many cases workers injured in these accidents will face long and difficult roads to recovery.
By far, laborers suffer the most struck-by injuries on construction sites. According to the NIOSH data, laborers are almost twice as likely to suffer struck-by injuries as carpenters, who come in second.
High numbers of HVAC technicians and plumbers suffer struck-by injuries on construction sites as well, followed by electricians, painters, helpers, sheet metal workers, construction managers, foremen, and other construction workers.
If you suffer a struck-by injury on a construction site in New York, what should you do? As with any type of construction site injury, the most important thing you can do is to seek treatment for your injury right away. Note, however, that you may need to see a doctor who has been approved by your employer in order to preserve your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits (this restriction does not apply if you need to go to the emergency room for immediate treatment).
In order to collect workers’ compensation benefits, you also need to report the accident to your employer within 30 days. In the event that your workers’ compensation claim is denied or you receive less than you deserve in benefits, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible.
Another reason to contact an attorney after suffering a struck-by injury on a construction site is that filing for workers’ compensation may not be your only option. In some cases, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim as well.
If the owner of the property, a contractor or subcontractor, a tool or vehicle manufacturer, or any other party (other than your employer or a coworker) is to blame for a struck-by injury, your attorney may be able to help you recover full compensation for all of your injury-related losses.
For more than 30 years, Dreyer Boyajian LLP has been serving clients in a wide range of work injury and personal injury claims. We have achieved significant recoveries on behalf of our clients, including those injured on building sites and other jobs in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, and other areas of New York.
If you have suffered any type of serious injury on a construction site, it is important that you speak with a lawyer about your legal rights. For a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced construction injury lawyer at Dreyer Boyajian LLP, please call (518) 463-7784 today.
