Worker Fatally Injured After 10-story Fall at Manhattan Construction Site

Manhattan, N.Y.-- Another construction tragedy demonstrates the need for stricter enforcement of safety laws in New York City.

Monday, authorities reported Roger Vail, a 62-year-old surveyor from Montgomery, N.Y., lost his life in what seems to be another preventable incident at a New York City construction site.

Mr. Vail was working on a huge development that is being constructed by Brookfield Properties as part of the Hudson Yards complex at 400 West 33rd Street in Manhattan.

Around 6:40 pm, while conducting a survey on the 16th floor - ironically working to raise a safety system to prevent falls - the victim reportedly stepped onto a platform that collapsed causing him to fatally plummet 10 stories to a 6th-floor landing.

Our sympathies go out to the victim, Robert Vail, as well as his friends and family.

Tragedies like these have become all too commonplace.  Simple and basic safety equipment often can avoid or minimize the effects of construction site falls.  Safety lines, harnesses, and lanyards, while mandatory for any worker exposed to elevated related risk, are often not provided by General Contractors and Project Owners.

Elevated platforms and scaffolds must be properly constructed and able to support the workers they are intended to safeguard.  Sadly, it is often the speed of the project and profits earned that dictates actions on work sites rather than worker safety.

Howard Raphaelson and Andrew Levine have litigated similar incidents on behalf of construction workers and their families throughout New York. The State of New York maintains specific laws that require workers to be protected.

Our law firm has tragically seen what happens when these basic safety rules are not followed and have successfully litigated construction incident cases obtaining full liability judgements and multi-million dollar awards for injured construction workers.

Know your rights.  Protect yourself and your family. If you or a loved one have been injured on a preventable job site accident in New York, we invite you to contact Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm 212-268-3222 for a free, no-risk consultation with an experienced Manhattan construction accident attorney.