According to The National Safety Council, being struck by an object accounted for 15,930 nonfatal and 73
fatal injuries at construction workplaces in 2014. Many of these injuries and deaths may have been preventable. Proper inspections, protocol, cleanup and maintenance are critical to maintain the safety of workers and the general public. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of cases in which employers fail to meet the state or federal sanctioned safety requirements.
On December 18th 2017 a piece of metal fell off of construction scaffolding that had been repeatedly cited for code violations. The metal object fatally struck a worker who was standing on the sidewalk below the scaffolding.
The 34 year old construction worker, Przemyskaw Krawczyk, was standing on a sidewalk shed at the Ninth Avenue construction site in Chelsea when the anchoring bracket came flying down and hit him directly on his head.
Building inspectors had been to the site many times since the previous summer and gave multiple code violations, many of which were concerns with scaffolding issues.
“This tragedy appears to have been completely preventable and we are taking enforcement actions against all parties involved,” said Joseph Soldevere, a Buildings Department spokesman.
The DOB has since shut down the work site and is expecting to issue more violations after the tragedy. Hopefully, other workers can learn from and avoid the mistakes made by this construction company and will make an effort to report and avoid any hazardous conditions on their work sites.
Police arrived to the scene of the accident just before 9 a.m. and found Krawczyk collapsed on the sidewalk. They confirmed he had suffered severe trauma to his head and that he was unresponsive.
Medics rushed the unresponsive worker to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he passed away an hour later. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death for the worker.
If you or a family member has been injured or harmed due to a falling object from a construction site you may be entitled to full benefits and compensation. Know your rights and get the answers you deserve. Our attorneys are dedicated to getting victims of negligence resulting in injury the compensation they deserve through thorough investigations of all forms of evidence including inspections reports. Call the trusted New York City and Queens construction accident lawyers at Kalra Law Firm for a free initial consultation at (718) 897-2211. www.unionlawyer.com.
