Construction Accident Crush Injuries in NYC

Construction sites are among the most dangerous workplaces in New York, and crush injuries are one of the most devastating types of harm a worker can suffer. When heavy equipment, unsecured materials, or a structural collapse pins a worker, the result can be extreme pain, disfigurement, permanent disability, or even the amputation of a limb. 

If you or a loved one suffered a crush injury in a construction accident caused by the negligence of a contractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer, you may deserve compensation for your losses, including medical expenses, lost wages, and physical and emotional pain and suffering. 

Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman LLP is a tenacious advocate for construction workers and bystanders who have suffered crush injuries on job sites across New York.  

With more than 150 years of collective experience and more than $2 billion in results, we are the personal injury law firm New Yorkers turn to when the injuries are serious, and the need for compensation is critical. 

How Negligence Causes Construction Site Crush Injuries 

If you are seeking compensation for a crush injury sustained on a construction site, it is important to determine the cause of the injury and to identify every party whose negligence contributed to the accident.  

Some of the most common ways negligence on construction sites leads to crush injuries include: 

• Heavy equipment strikes: Unsafe operation of cranes, forklifts, excavators, or other heavy machinery can trap workers between moving equipment and fixed structures, resulting in dangerous crush injuries. 

• Falling materials and unsecured loads: Negligence by contractors, riggers, or delivery crews in stabilizing heavy loads such as steel beams, concrete forms, or bundled lumber can lead to falling debris that can cause crush injuries.  

• Trench and excavation collapses: Negligence by excavation contractors who skip OSHA-required shoring, shielding, or correct sloping can cause trench walls to collapse suddenly, burying and crushing workers inside.  

• Scaffold and structural collapses: Improperly erected scaffolding, shoring, or temporary support structures can give way without warning, trapping and crushing workers beneath heavy debris. 

• Struck-by incidents on active sites: Workers on busy construction sites can be caught between backing vehicles, swinging crane loads, or shifting materials when proper safety protocols and spotters are not in place. 

• Defective construction equipment or tools: Negligence by a manufacturer or distributor in producing or selling defective equipment, such as a faulty hydraulic jack, scissor lift, or rigging hardware, can cause it to fail unexpectedly and result in serious crush injuries on the job site. 

• Wall, ceiling, or floor collapses during demolition or renovation: Failure to properly assess structural integrity or follow safe demolition procedures can cause unexpected collapses that pin and crush workers under tons of concrete, brick, or steel. 

Construction crush injuries often involve multiple negligent parties. The services of a skilled NY construction accident lawyer are essential for identifying every responsible party and holding them accountable. 

An experienced NY construction accident lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of your crush injury, identify every negligent contractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer involved, and let you know the strength of your potential claim for compensation.