Workplace Safety Violations Cost Employers and a New York Injury Lawyer wants to protect worker's rights
A jury recently returned a $3.7 million verdict against the employer of a man who was seriously injured when he fell down an open elevator shaft.In New York, workers are routinely hurt and when they are injured should call a New York injury lawyer.
The worker (who, ironically, was responsible for safety at the construction site) fell because the rails intended to keep people from falling down the shaft had been partially disassembled. The evidence showed that one side of the rails had been unscrewed from the supports and, when the worker leaned on the rails, they gave way and he fell.
The fall caused the worker to break several ribs, his shoulder, and his elbow. His injuries were so serious that he could not move, and he had to be rescued from the elevator shaft by a crane.
At trial, the employer blamed the worker, saying that the worker had given permission for the rails to be loosened to allow another company to do some work. The employer also claimed that the rails were obviously not attached and that it was the worker’s fault for not noticing. However, these claims were undermined by another worker, who testified that the rails still looked as if they were properly attached. These kinds of cases are fact sensitive, says a New york injury lawyer and it's up to a jury to decide what the truth is.
