Most of us see construction sites, and the cranes that tower over them, as an average, everyday thing. And they are, especially in cities. Most people see them as a sign of strong economic activity; investments in jobs and growth. Indeed, most of them are.
We walk by them every day, without thinking much of the dangers that lurk inside those construction sites. Many think that the risks exist just to the construction workers themselves, inside the site. That isn’t true, and this reality was made clear again yesterday, with the Feb. 5 construction crane collapse in New York City, which killed one person and seriously injured two others.
One of those people is a man from Easton Massachusetts who was seriously injured when the collapsed construction crane, fell on his car. That man has since been released from the hospital, according to reports. But this construction accident also killed a Harvard graduate who worked on Wall Street. That person, David Wichs, 38 years old, was walking to work, when the crane collapsed, producing a downpour of debris in its wake, according to Associated Press reports. In a news conference held at the scene earlier today, New York City officials said investigators were still trying to determine why the crane collapsed. Data from a computer inside the crane, is reportedly being examined. This kind of data can indicate the wind speed and direction, as well as angle of the crane’s boom, at the time of the accident.
As a Boston construction site accident lawyer, I’ve seen these kinds of cases too often. Whether it’s an electrical or gas line explosion, a construction site fall, or a mechanical tool injury, these types of accidents happen more frequently than most people think. As I’ve passed towering construction site cranes, I’ve often looked at them and thought, “How do these things stay upright? How is it that something that high and that heavy, doesn’t just fall over?” Good question: We’ve all seen them, with the inverted “L” shape they have, picking up and swinging around materials that can weigh a ton or more. How can they do this, safely, when the crane’s footprint on the ground is perhaps six feet or so square? The answer is that it can’t always be safely done. And when these cranes fail, their enormous height and reach mean that devastating harm is going to follow – not only to the crane operator, but to people and property below. The scene can be right out of a disaster movie.
Aside from the physical complexities involved in operating construction site cranes safely, the legal complexities involved in construction site crane accidents, are equally challenging. When someone has been injured due to a construction site accident, the ‘average’ law firm is not a good choice. This, as a practicing Massachusetts construction crane accident lawyer, I can assure you: Very experienced, expert-level legal counsel that concentrates in these types of accidents, is critical to success.
I hope that neither you nor anyone you care about is ever injured in one of these accidents. But if you are, seek very experienced, expert-level legal counsel, with a proven track record of success with these types of cases. Otherwise, legal mistakes, once made in these types of cases, can destroy prospects for substantial financial damages.