Building collapses may not be terribly common, but the aftermath can be devastating when they do happen. An average of eight buildings collapse per year, killing about 300 people annually. According to one study, 80% of people who perish in building collapses die within the first 14 minutes of structure failure. First responders must race against time when a building comes down to save trapped victims.
If you were fortunate enough to survive such an incident, you could use the help of a building collapse lawyer. Here’s what you should know from a Bronx forklift accident lawyer.
Few people who live in New York could ever forget the collapse of the Twin Towers. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on September 11, 2001, after terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the World Trade Center. Those who survived were left with fractures, brain injuries, burns, lung damage, and post-traumatic stress disorder that haunted them for years thereafter.
If you were involved in a building collapse accident, you may be facing a similar outcome. Your injuries might be so severe that you need months off work to recover. If a collapse left you disabled, you might never be able to work again.
Buildings collapse for plenty of reasons, one of which is using shoddy materials or construction practices. For instance, a contractor might cut corners when putting up a new apartment building to save time and money. Those shortcuts could come back to bite laborers who work on the building in the future.
Buildings may also collapse due to:
Anyone who played some role in a building’s collapse may be liable under New York law. These parties can include:
Workers’ comp covers all types of on-the-job injuries, including structure collapses. However, your employer might make it tough to claim the benefits you’re owed. If workers’ comp has denied your claim, call a forklift injury lawyer for help.
You can’t sue your employer if they offer you workers’ comp, but you may be able to sue one of the parties listed above if they played any role in the structure collapse.
A building collapse lawyer from Dervishi Law Group, P.C., can help by gathering witness statements, collecting work permits, and taking photos of the accident site. They’ll also determine:
One common type of building collapse is the partial collapse. As the name implies, one part of the building fails while the rest remains standing. Complete collapses happen when the entire building falls down, but these are a bit less common.
The pancake collapse is another common type. The name was first coined in the Bronx in 1980 when a fire weakened a building’s floors so much that they caved in on top of one another.
One of the deadliest building collapses was the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Two commercial airplanes struck the towers, sparking fires that caused the building’s floors to sag. The building’s perimeter columns buckled and ultimately led to the building crashing down. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the incident.
For homeowners’ insurance to cover a collapsed building, the collapse must have happened due to something that was accidental or unknown to the homeowner. For example, if you hire someone to work on your home and their negligence causes a wall to collapse, that would be a covered event. Likewise, insurance would probably cover a collapse caused by an unknown termite infestation below your house.
However, if your home collapses because of foundation problems you knew about, insurance would probably not cover such an incident.
For homeowners’ insurance to cover a collapsed building, the collapse must have happened due to something that was accidental or unknown to the homeowner. For example, if you hire someone to work on your home and their negligence causes a wall to collapse, that would be a covered event. Likewise, insurance would probably cover a collapse caused by an unknown termite infestation below your house.
However, if your home collapses because of foundation problems you knew about, insurance would probably not cover such an incident.
Address 1:
2322 Arthur Ave., Suite 3A
Bronx, New York 10458
Address 2:
18 East 41st. Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY. 10017
Office: (718) 484-4757
Cell: (917) 496-8342
Fax: (718) 484-4758
Scaffolding accidents can be just as deadly as full-scale building collapses. Poor scaffolding construction can cause you to lose your footing, or the scaffolding might give way beneath you. Construction workers often build scaffolding 50 feet or higher above ground, so it’s easy to imagine how dangerous such falls can be.
If you were hurt in a building collapse, reach out to Dervishi Law Group, P.C., at (718) 484-4757. We have years of experience handling structure collapses and other personal injury cases. Call for your free consultation now.
Address 1:
2322 Arthur Ave., Suite 3A
Bronx, NY 10458
Address 2:
18 East 41st. Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Office: (718) 484-4757
Cell: (917) 496-8342
Fax: (718) 484-4758
