Falling debris injures man in construction accident

On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Construction Workers’ Accidents on Monday, August 25, 2014.

While many construction accidents may appear to deal with workers who have fallen, falling debris can actually pose significant danger to many who are employed in the construction industry. A recent construction accident occurred when a worker was struck by falling equipment. However, the location in which he was injured might seem unusual to some of those in Illinois.

At the time of the accident, the construction worker was working on a subway construction area 300 feet underground. Somehow, a piece of equipment used for cleaning concrete became dislodged and fell to the underground construction site. The worker was then hit on one of his legs and was seriously injured.

The man could not immediately be lifted out of the construction area where he had been working. Instead, rescue workers actually went underground with him and brought him to an evacuation area where a crane was used to extract him. He suffered serious injuries in the accident and needed to be transported to a local hospital.

Even if an Illinois employee takes precautions by wearing proper safety equipment, those actions may not mean much in an unsafe work environment. When equipment is able to fall and injure an employee such as in this construction accident, serious injuries can often have long-term implications, and aside from potential pain and suffering, it may also affect future work and earning ability. In situations like this, workers’ compensation benefits can be crucial to an injured employee who may need the financial support in order to recover before being able to return to work.

Source: NBC New York, “FDNY Rescues Worker in 2nd Avenue Subway Construction Accident,” Aug. 21, 2014