Nothing is quite as devastating as losing a loved one, but losing a loved one in a construction accident can happen without warning. Unfortunately, construction accident deaths in NYC are not uncommon.

If you have lost your loved one in a construction accident caused by another person, you deserve to be compensated for your immense loss. Without that person in your life, you will mis out on the many contributions they would have made had they lived. As such, you can claim a wide range of damages in a wrongful death lawsuit.

For a free case assessment with our attorneys for death caused by a construction accident, call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083.

Common Causes of Wrongful Death in Construction Accidents in NYC

Construction sites are inherently dangerous places in NYC. As such, there are countless threats that could take a person’s life if the proper care is not followed. If you lost a loved one in a construction accident because of someone else’s negligence or conduct, our attorneys for death caused by a construction accident can help you recover the compensation you deserve. The following are the four main causes of construction accident deaths in NYC:

Falls

A fall is one of the most common causes of wrongful death in construction accidents. This can happen when an employee falls from scaffolding or falls through an incomplete floor. They also fall because they were not given proper training on how to use equipment safely or because they were not given adequate instruction by management on how to perform their jobs properly.

Struck by Falling Objects

Construction workers need to be mindful of what is around them at all times so they can avoid getting hit by falling materials or tools that have been dropped accidentally or intentionally thrown by other people at work sites. Many workers in NYC are killed every year from being struck on the head and spine by construction materials, like heavy machinery, tools, bricks, and countless others. These accidents commonly occur because there is inadequate protection from overhead objects such as scaffolding or netting.

Electrocutions

Electrocutions are another major cause of construction accident deaths in NYC. Electric shock from power tools, live wires, and electrical equipment can easily cause even death.

Getting Caught in Between Equipment

Crushing injuries and being caught between objects are also responsible for many deaths in the construction industry. This can happen when someone gets caught between a machine and the wall or another piece of machinery. It can also happen when something gets caught in the gears of a machine, and the person gets pulled into the gears.

Damages that Beneficiaries Can Recover for Death Caused by an NYC Construction Accident

When a family loses a loved one in an NYC construction accident, they will typically lose out on countless services and financial support provided before the victim’s death. However, you can claim any damages resulting from the wrongful death of your family member. The following are the most common damages awarded in an NYC wrongful death lawsuit:

Medical Expenses

If your loved one had medical costs before passing, their medical expenses could be recovered in a wrongful death lawsuit. In many cases, a person killed in an NYC construction accident will have incurred significant medical expenses before their death trying to preserve their life. The victim’s family can recover the cost of these bills from the party responsible for their loved one’s death. This includes emergency room costs, ambulance fees, hospital charges, surgery expenses, and any other health care costs related to the construction accident that caused their death.

Emotional Distress

Emotional distress refers to the mental anguish caused by losing your loved one in a construction accident. Compensation for emotional distress covers both physical symptoms, such as headaches, as well as psychological ones, like depression and anxiety. Emotional distress can also refer to feelings like fear, anger, and shock felt after your loved one has been wrongfully taken from you.

Lost Future Financial Support

You may be able to recover lost future financial support in a wrongful death suit. This means that you can get what would have been earned by your loved one if they had lived. For example, if your spouse was planning on retiring at age 65 and would have worked until then but died at age 40, you can claim damages for the 25 years of work your spouse would have provided. Lost future financial support is calculated based on how much money your loved one would have been expected to make over their lifetime. This amount can include wages from work but also other income sources such as social security benefits or pension payments.

Loss of Companionship

You can also recover compensation for the loss of companionship that comes with losing a loved one through their wrongful death. The loss of companionship claim is meant to compensate family members for all the things that they will never get back from their loved ones after their passing. This includes damages for the loss of advice, companionship, shared memories, and other non-economic losses you suffered because you lost your companion.

Loss of Household Services

This is another type of damages that compensates surviving family members for the loss of the services their loved one provided them before they died. Loss of household services includes any loss associated with the caretaking duties that the deceased performed before they died, such as cooking and cleaning up after meals, driving children around town, doing laundry and ironing clothes, doing yard work and home maintenance, taking out the trash, and any other responsibility that around the home.

Loss of Parental Guidance

Children who lose their parents in construction accidents are often left without guidance at an important time in their lives when they are developing into adults themselves. A child’s loss of parental guidance could include anything from a parent’s assistance with homework assignments to advice on life choices like careers or relationships. Children should not have to lose out on more than they already have and can recover compensation for the loss of guidance they would have received throughout their life had their parents not been killed by another person’s negligence.

Funeral Costs

Funeral costs include not only what it took to bury or cremate the body but also any medical bills associated with treating injuries sustained during the construction accident that caused your loved one’s death, such as hospital stays. These damages are commonly awarded in wrongful death lawsuits in NYC.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are awarded by juries in order to punish wrongdoers who acted recklessly or egregiously in causing the death of another person. These damages are rarely awarded but are more common in wrongful death lawsuits since it usually takes an egregious act to cause the death of another person. Fortunately, New York does not limit how much punitive damages can be awarded in a lawsuit.

Our NYC Attorneys for Death Caused by a Construction Accident Can Help

Contact The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083 to receive a free case review from our attorneys for death caused by a construction accident.