Albany Construction Accident Lawyer

Types of Construction Accidents Our Albany Construction Injury Attorneys Handle

Every construction site in New York has a list of life-threatening hazards. There’s heavy machinery, sharp objects, and tall structures everywhere, which can be a perfect recipe for disaster. This means that a construction worker could suffer severe injuries or even death from almost any mishap. Listed below are some of the most common types of construction site accidents that our Albany construction accident lawyer and legal team handles regularly.

• Slipping and falling from heights
• Electrical accidents
• Falling objects
• Scaffolding accidents
• Heavy machinery mishaps
• Faulty safety equipment
• Collapsing structures
• Welding accidents
• Lack of safety training on construction sites
• Explosions and fires
• Toxic chemical exposure
• Malfunctions involving cranes, hoists, harnesses, etc.
• Excavation accidents
• Ladder accidents

A report from the Center for Construction Research and Training claims that the majority (33%) of construction site injuries that year were caused by contacting dangerous equipment and objects. Meanwhile, 31% of construction injuries in 2019 occurred due to slipping and falling.

Our Albany construction accident lawyers have extensive experience handling claims related to slip-and-fall hazards, construction electrocutions, dropped object injuries, and more. Contact our Albany premises liability attorneys for a free consultation.

Construction Accident Injuries Our Albany Construction Accident Lawyers Commonly Handle

Construction workers are at risk for nearly any type of catastrophic injury due to the nature of their job sites. For example, injured construction workers could suffer:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and skull fractures
• Neck, back, and spinal cord injuries (SCI)
• Complete or partial paralysis
• Chemical exposure injuries and illnesses
• Broken bones
• Muscle sprains and strains from overexertion and repetitive motions
• Crush injuries
• Amputations
• Skin burns, lacerations, and scarring
• Facial disfigurement and scarring
• Electrocution injuries
• Hearing and vision loss
• Wrongful death 

If your loved one died in a construction site accident, contact our Albany wrongful death lawyers for a free case evaluation.

What is the New York Scaffold Law?

Because the construction industry is so dangerous, it’s important to protect construction workers through laws and safety regulations. The state of New York does that. The Scaffold Safety Law (New York State Labor Law § 240/241) holds construction site property owners and employers fully liable for construction accident cases where a worker falls from tall structures without adequate safety equipment. New York is the only state in the U.S. that has a law to protect workers from a construction site accident like this. 

The Scaffold Safety Law also provides specific instructions for scaffold use on a construction site.

• Scaffolds taller than 20 feet are required to have safety rails that are at least 34 inches tall.
• This 34-inch-tall railing must cover all sides of the scaffold and the openings should only be large enough to receive the necessary materials.
• Scaffolds must be able to hold 4 times the maximum required weight.
• In order to prevent swaying away from buildings, scaffolds must be properly secured.

Strict liability applies to this New York law. In other words, an injured construction worker doesn’t have to prove that their scaffold accident occurred due to someone else’s negligence. An experienced Albany scaffold accident lawyer at our law firm only needs to prove that the Scaffold Law was violated in order to recover fair compensation on your behalf.

If you were injured on a construction site, contact our Albany construction injury lawyer group to see how we can help.