BROOKLYN Construction Accident News Report by BROOKLYN Construction Accident Lawyer Glenn A. Herman

As per the report by MAYA RAJAMANI, a piece of equipment collapsed onto a construction worker in Brooklyn Monday morning, fatally crushing him, officials said.

The 46-year-old man was trying to attach an extension arm to an excavator at 1 Java St., along the waterfront in Greenpoint, around 9:15 a.m. when the extension collapsed, Police and Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich said.

The worker, who suffered severe body trauma, was pronounced dead at the construction site, the NYPD said. His name wasn’t immediately released.

Brooklyn Construction Accident Lawyer Glenn A. Herman Comments on the legal aspects of this tragic wrongful death case: In these situations, the law in New York imposes strict liability on the owner of the building or land where the construction is taking place and the general contractor in charge overseeing the construction project. What that means, is that in most cases the family of the deceased worker is spared the burden of having to prove fault on behalf of the parties responsible for causing his death. What is terribly unfortunate, however, is that New York’s Wrongful Death Law dates back to the 1800’s and does not allow the family of the deceased construction worker to collect money damages for their grief and suffering and families of low wage earners also are treated unfairly.

Currently, there is a bill on the desk of New York Governor Kathy Hochul, known as the Grieving Families Act, that would permit families to recover non-financial damages for emotional anguish if their loved one was a victim of wrongful death. Currently, New York’s antiquated wrongful death law only allows families of high wage earners to recover substantial damages from the death of a…