Experienced And Accomplished Workers’ Compensation And Injury Attorneys

Construction worker trapped in mud in New York subway tunnel

Construction work is remarkably dangerous in New Jersey and everywhere in the U.S., from heavy machinery moving on job sites, to cranes lifting concrete and steel beams high in air, to workers in trenches, pits and tunnels being at constant risk of cave-ins, collapses and flooding. Workers are injured and sometimes killed in a variety of accidents on a daily basis across the country.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) reports that of the 4,114 workers killed on the job from 2011, 721 or 17.5% were construction-related. The most dangerous aspect of construction work, as measured by fatalities, is the risk of falling. The other three causes, that together OSHA calls the “Fatal Four,” were electrocutions, being struck by object, and being caught-in/between something. These four worksite dangers account for nearly 60 percent of all workplace fatalities.

But, of course, the remaining 40 percent of risks are just as deadly, but occur less frequently. The story from New York of the construction worker, who was trapped for hours in mud 75 feet deep in a subway tunnel, highlights dangers you may never think about. These risks could leave one severely injured and needing to file a workers’ compensation claim to help during your recovery.

The man in the subway tunnel faced a surprising number of dangers during his ordeal. Being sucked into the mud and suffocated was the greatest risk, but hypothermia and being crushed by the mud. He could have suffered numerous non-obvious injuries over the four hours he was trapped.

If you are injured on the job, be certain to report the incident immediately and contact a workers’ compensation attorney if you need help with the claim.

Source: New York Daily News, “‘The mud just grabbed me and wouldn’t release me’: Rescued Second Ave. subway worker who spent four hours in cold upper East Side muck recovering,” Barry Paddock , Larry Mcshane and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, March 21, 2013