Construction companies can be held liable for worker deaths

Claiming the company is innocent, Harco Construction intends to fight a judicial order to fund worker safety public service announcements. The company was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter as well as criminally negligent homicide in the 2015 death of construction worker Carlos Moncayo. The company’s attorney states that they plan to appeal the verdict.

This case is just one example of the negligence and disregard for worker safety that typifies many construction companies. If you are injured or you lose a family member in a construction accident, you will likely have to fight the negligent party aggressively to get justice.

Why construction workers are at risk for fatal accidents

In the first half of 2016, five New York construction workers suffered fatal work injuries. In 2015, there were 12 construction worker deaths. Hundreds more suffered non-fatal injuries on the job.

As construction projects increase in New York, so do the number of worker injuries and deaths. In too many cases, companies fail to provide adequate training and safety measures. This oversight makes an already dangerous job deadly.

Some common reasons for construction injuries and deaths include:

• Falls from elevated heights such as roofs, ladders and scaffolds
• Safety violations
• Lack of training and supervision
• Excavation and demolition accidents
• Defective or damaged machinery
• Equipment or structural collapse
• Electrical accidents
• Explosions

What can workers and their families do?

Workers’ compensation provides medical benefits and partial wage replacement to injured workers. Surviving families receive death benefits when a worker dies from on-the-job injuries. For most people, however, workers’ compensation is not enough.

In many construction accident cases, the injury victims and/or their families can seek additional damages from a negligent third party such as a subcontractor. To learn whether you may file a suit against a negligent third party, discuss your case with a personal injury attorney.