Five Construction Workers Fall Off Bridge Into Kingsbury Canal Resulting in One Drowning Death and Four Injuries

Five contract workers for the New York State Department of Transportation fell into the water below the Smiths Basin Bridge on Route 149 in Kingsbury shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Friday. According to a report by Time Warner Cable News, it is believed that a cable broke causing the workers to plunge into Kingsbury Canal. The body of the deceased worker, 41-year old Rahssan Smith of Albany, was recovered from the water more than an hour later. The workers were employed by the bridge-painting and sandblasting company, P.S. Bruckel out of Avon, New York.

The nature of the construction industry gives workers a wide range of reasons to be at great heights, and depending upon the circumstances unique in each case, injured workers could be entitled to more than workers’ compensation after a fall. Contractors are required to provide a safe working environment, which includes proper safety precautions. In many situations, New York Labor Law Section 240 gives injured workers compensation after a fall in which the contractor or the owner were not directly or actively at fault.

An injury resulting from a fall at a construction site can bring devastating consequences, putting construction workers and their families in vulnerable positions. At the law office of Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool, L.L.P., we assist injured workers and their families after a serious workplace accident. If you were injured or lost a loved one because of a fall, call our firm to schedule a free consultation with our New York personal injury lawyers. Call (212) 406-1700 or contact us online.