New Haven, Connecticut Personal Injury Blog

Injury arising out of a single traumatic event, like a motor vehicle accident or a fall, often comes to mind when one thinks of on-the-job events compensable through workers' compensation. But workers' compensation is also meant as a remedy for occupational illnesses that arise over time.

Repetitive stress conditions are one of the most common occupational diseases that affect Americans working in almost every industry. Yet, recognizing a repetitive stress injury and pursuing a workers' compensation claim can be a challenge without professional help.

After a tragic accident at the Harvard-Yale football game involving a U-Haul rental vehicle, legislators and safety officials are taking a deeper look into rental vehicles' safety standards. Greater regulation of rental trucks is being advocated following the New Haven truck accident.

According to the New Haven Police Department and the Yale Daily News, the accident occurred the morning of November 19, 2011. Members of a Yale fraternity had rented a U-Haul truck for tailgating. Witnesses say the vehicle swerved and accelerated in the Yale Bowl's D-Lot parking area. The U-Haul then crashed into three people.

A new study from the National Council on Compensation Insurance is shedding some light on how workers' compensation benefits are spent.

The study found that overall health care costs have gone up 43 percent between 2001 and 2010. In-office doctor's visits cost 33 percent more than they did 10 years ago, while hospital costs have gone up by an astounding 82 percent. Prescription drug prices have increased by 34 percent over the last decade.

As many New Haven workers' compensation attorneys know, insurance companies can sometimes be slow to pay out the most expensive claims. The study confirmed this observation. It found that while insurers usually pay for office visits and emergency care relatively quickly, they often dragged their feet when covering the cost of hospital care. Insurers are also often slow to reimburse for prescription drug expenses.

Although few of us want to admit it, winter weather is on its way. Unfortunately, along with the cold and ice come increased dangers for Connecticut construction workers and others who work outdoors.

During the winter month, New Haven workers' compensation attorneys frequently encounter workers who have been injured due weather-related hazards. Every Connecticut employer has a legal duty to provide workers with a safe job site. However, due to changing weather conditions it may not be possible to prevent all weather-related hazards. Workers can do their part to prevent injury by understanding ways to stay safe in the face of winter weather hazards.

A 60-foot fall from the roof of the old Clairol building in Stamford fatally injured Danbury construction worker Javier Salinas. The site has been under construction for some time; the 36-year-old was working on the roof prior to the fall and was likely killed on impact with the pavement below.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be investigating the fall. Early rumors indicate that strong winds may have played a role in the Connecticut construction fall accident.

Falls are the leading cause of death on construction sites throughout the United States, according to OSHA. Falls from heights can include falling from rooftops, from scaffolding, from ladders or from another lift system.

A Connecticut construction worker was trapped in a three-foot-deep pit after he was hit by a car at an excavation site in Stamford. The 79-year-old driver followed the worker into the trench, trapping the worker underneath his car. The accident is currently under investigation.

The construction site was run by A.J. Penna and Sons, a Westport excavation contractor reportedly doing work for Connecticut Light & Power. Although injuries to the excavation worker were not serious, he was taken to Stamford Hospital for treatment.

On-the-job motor vehicle accidents are one of several threats to Connecticut manual laborers. Crushing injuries, burns, back and spine injuries and even heart attacks create safety issues that Connecticut manual work injury attorneys have seen seriously hinder workers' ability to fully recover and return to work.

As part of a pool at a private residence in Durham, Connecticut, Shur-Shot Gunite was hired to install the cement base of the pool. During the installation, however, the cement mixing truck clogged and a construction worker crawled inside the mixer to fix it. While inside the back of the truck, the construction worker's leg became entangled with the auger of mixer truck.

A surgical team from New Haven was called to the construction accident site to assist with freeing the construction worker's leg from the auger. Fire department responders had to manually turn the auger in the opposite direction to assist with extricating the man from the cement truck. Once freed, the worker was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Construction accidents, like this one, can happen in an instant and can have serious, long-lasting consequences. Connecticut construction accidents are, unfortunately, not uncommon. Construction sites that utilize heavy machinery with large moving parts create work-related safety dangers for all who are on-site.

The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) recently inspected the records of 299 contractors, resulting in the issuance of 103 stop-work orders. At least a half-dozen of those stop-work orders involved worker's compensation issues, including improperly labeling employees and independent contractors to avoid paying into the Connecticut worker's comp system.

Although the U.S. Department of Labor's latest statistics show a decline in injuries related to falls at construction sites, injuries to construction workers still occur on a daily basis. Misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor rather than an employee can mean that, if injured, the worker may not have access to worker's compensation for medical benefits, lost wages and disability benefits.

Common Construction Site Accidents in Connecticut

Construction sites, often littered with heavy equipment, tools and materials, can be dangerous places. Accidents do happen, and can happen, in an instant, causing serious injury or death. Construction site injuries and accidents may relate to:

• Falling. Individuals falling from heights as well as debris falling from above present common construction site dangers. Failing to use appropriate fall protection and broken or faulty scaffolding can also lead to fall injuries.
• Operating heavy equipment. Using forklifts and cranes to move large materials on jobsites may make things more efficient, but if operators are not properly trained, the machines can quickly go from helping to hurting construction workers.
• Loading and unloading materials.
• Climbing ladders.