Personal Injury Lawyer in New York
As home to many of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, New York has had a remarkably low injury and mortality rate among construction workers during its history when compared to other cities in the United States. A big reason for this is New York’s Scaffold Law, created in 1885, which has saved countless lives during the past 120 years. An important excerpt from the Scaffold Law reads as follows:
Listen to Motorcycle Mike when he was a guest on the Great Trials Podcast.
If link doesn’t open listen to it on Great Trials Podcast Website https://www.greattrialspodcast.com/podcast/episode-077-michael-levinebarrett-v-smith575-million-verdict
The 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will still take place August 7 – 16, 2020
Plans for the 2020 City of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally are currently moving forward, however, due to the many concerns brought forth by the COVID-19 situation, there will be some modifications made during the 2020 event. City-sponsored events such as the Opening Ceremonies, parades, contests, and live music at the Harley-Davidson Rally Point Plaza have been canceled. There will be no photo towers placed on Main Street. Extra sanitizing measures will be in effect. The daily media briefings will be held in a variety of locations around the city. The locations will be announced in the daily briefings. Please check the Sturgis Media page for updates closer to the start of the event. View the press release here.
$8,900,000 VERDICT – MOTOR VEHICLE – FAILURE TO STOP AT RED LIGHT – T-BONES OUR CLIENT WHO WAS RIDING A MOTORCYCLE – RESULTING IN COMPOUND COMMINUTED TIBIA/FIBULA FRACTURES – 13 SURGERIES AND JAW FRACTURE
We urge everyone to share the road and be alert, and we’re especially reminding motorcyclists to make yourselves visible, to use DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets, and to always ride sober.
Fatal work injuries totaled 87 in 2017 for New York City, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that the number of work-related fatalities in New York City rose by 31 from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the city have ranged from a high of 191 in 1993 to a low of 56 in 2013 and 2016. (See chart 1.)
As home to many of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, New York has had a remarkably low injury and mortality rate among construction workers during its history when compared to other cities in the United States. A big reason for this is New York’s Scaffold Law, created in 1885, which has saved countless lives during the past 120 years. An important excerpt from the Scaffold Law reads as follows:
“A person employing or directing another to perform labor of any kind in the erection, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of a building or structure shall furnish or erect, or cause to be furnished or erected for the performance of such labor, scaffolding, hoists, stays, ladders, slings, hangers, blocks, pulleys, braces, irons, ropes and other mechanical contrivances which shall be so constructed, placed and operated as to give proper protection to a person so employed or directed…” (1921 amendment)
What the Scaffold Law essentially does is require contractors and owners of construction sites to provide harnesses and other safety equipment to construction workers laboring at high elevations, and to enforce the use of this equipment among site workers. When falls from high elevations result in injury or death to a construction worker, and it is found that the contractor and/or owner failed to provide the necessary safety equipment, or did not enforce its use, then the contractor and/or owner is legally liable for the injuries or deaths caused in such falls.
Despite the obvious safety benefits that the Scaffold Law creates for New York’s construction sites, large construction companies and contractors have financed several attempts to overturn it over the years, usually arguing that the law is antiquated and has no place in the modern construction landscape. Today more than ever, contractors and construction companies believe the Scaffold Law should be removed, and that construction workers laboring hundreds of feet off the ground should do so at their own risk.
Myself and my partners at RGLZ Personal Injury Law, couldn’t disagree more. The Scaffold Law is as important today as it has ever been. Many of New York’s construction workers are day laborers and immigrants from Latin America or Asia, with little to no understanding of English, let alone understanding the laws that are in place to protect them. Construction companies hire them because they work hard and do dangerous tasks, often for far less money than they deserve. Construction companies also know that they don’t question authority, and that taking away one of the few rights they have for their safety will meet little resistance from these hard working men and women.
It is up to concerned attorneys knowledgeable about the many hazards of construction work to help preserve the rights for safer working conditions for construction workers. RGLZ Personal Injury Law counts itself among these attorneys.
The people, the riding, the bikes, the history, all that makes our country great at one rally… The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally! I will be back again next year.
For Immediate Release
May 9, 2018
Motorcycle Riders Foundation Releases Statement on Road to Zero Report
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) released the following statement in response to a report issued by the Road to Zero Coalition which is managed by the National Safety Council. The report, A Road to Zero: A vision for achieving zero roadway deaths by 2050, was released in April and identifies policies and practices to achieve the very notable and worthy objective of attaining zero deaths in the United States in 30 years:
Motorcycling and the safety of riders who engage in this growing mode of transportation remains a key priority of the MRF, its Board of Directors and its network of 220,000 riders across the U.S. In fact, the MRF, either directly or through our member networks, have numerous initiatives geared towards rider safety touching on issues such as motorcycle awareness, rider education and training, impairment, as well as technological advancements for motorcycle and equipment manufacturers. Because the safety of the motorcycle community is so paramount to our organization, we commend the objective behind Road to Zero. As such, we have been present and an active participant in almost every Road to Zero Coalition meeting since the unveiling of the program in 2016. During these workshops we’ve offered the motorcyclist’s perspective on key issues areas, making recommendations and playing a proactive role in the dialogue.
