In a troubling incident on Friday, September 18, 2020, security guard Troy Evans died after falling six stories into an underground construction shaft. The incident was reported at around 2:00 p.m. at 1 Wall Street in Manhattan. The 55-year-old was inside the partially-constructed building when he fell six stories through a ventilator duct shaft into the sub-basement.
Videos shared by the public to Citizen show first responders arriving to the hectic scene. The FDNY report the accident occurred during a building construction project. New York’s Department of Buildings was notified by firefighters and called in to investigate the work site. After about 40 minutes, firefighters were able to extract Evans from the shaft and transport him to a hospital in an ambulance. He was reported to be in critical condition, and later died as a result of his injuries. Our thoughts are with his loved ones after this tragic event.
As a personal injury firm that specializes in construction accidents, our lawyers are unfortunately very familiar with the catastrophic consequences of falls on construction sites. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of death among construction workers. In 2018, there were 320 reported fatal falls on construction sites in the U.S.; these are preventable deaths.
Elevator accidents on construction sites are especially dangerous for workers. According to The Center for Construction Research and Training, between 2011 and 2016, 145 construction workers died because of elevator-related injuries, and more than half of those deaths were due to falls. Without proper safety equipment or training, it can be frighteningly easy for a worker to fall down an open elevator shaft, one that is misleveled (stuck between floors), or perhaps even because of inadequate safety warnings or maintenance.
Employers are responsible for ensuring that their workers are safe on the work site. Employers have a duty to properly plan how the job will be done, provide employees with the correct equipment for the job, and train workers how to use the equipment they are provided. Anyone who works from a height of six feet or more is at risk of serious injury should they fall; Evans, the victim in this incident, fell six stories.
The construction accident lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy have handled construction site fall cases like these for many years. Select results include:
• $12,000,000 settlement for a Local 147 tunnel worker who fell 40 feet into a ventilation shift on a Manhattan construction site, causing him to fracture both arms, legs, and his pelvis
• $11,000,000 settlement for a masonry foreman who fell three stories to the basement of the building he was working in, after stepping on a temporary hole cover that was unsecured
• $10,875,000 settlement for a union laborer who fell of the rooftop of the Brooklyn building he was working on and was impaled on some steel rebar, causing internal injuries
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction site fall, we understand your pain and are here to help you. Call 212-736-5300 or fill out our contact form to speak to an expert attorney today.