High-wind dangers and New York construction sites

On Behalf of | Feb 24, 2023 | Firm News |

In heavily populated areas of New York, including Long Island, it’s not uncommon to see street after street of buildings that are surrounded by scaffolding and under a near-constant state of construction or repair.

Unfortunately, that exposes residents of those buildings, delivery persons and pedestrians to terrible danger, especially when the winds are high. One glance at the news and you can find dozens of stories, going back a decade or more, of people who were seriously injured or killed in wind-related accidents near construction sites.

It’s not an “Act of God” when there’s negligence involved

Construction companies and property owners alike would have you think that accidents related to high winds are mere “Acts of God” and that they’re really neither predictable nor preventable – but that simply isn’t true.

The dangers of high winds around construction sites are well known, and property owners and construction companies are expected to take significant precautions to keep their premises safe. This includes things like:

  • Inspecting scaffolding around a building on a daily basis to make sure that it remains fully secured and is safe to be used or walked under by pedestrians
  • Making sure that high-profile equipment, such as cranes, are taken out of use and properly locked down whenever there are high-wind alerts in place
  • Making sure that tools, chairs, raw materials, tarps, tools and other loose items are properly secured so that they cannot be lifted up by the winds and thrown onto the street
  • Inspecting cornices, wood platforms, chimneys and parapets for signs of decay and promptly removing anything that could break off in a high wind and fall
  • Making certain that windows have glass that’s rated for the winds common to the area, and that doors and windows are properly secured

When a property owner or a contractor fails to secure the premises of a building that’s under construction or being renovated, people can get seriously injured or even killed. If you’ve been hurt or lost a loved one in a construction accident, it may be time to find out more about your right to fair compensation for your losses.

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