When we go to work every day, we seldom think about our mortality or the idea that we could die at work. And, for those of us that work in office buildings, we likely do not have much to worry about. However, for those that work on the mechanics of office buildings, like the elevators, death is a real possibility. Unfortunately, this is the reality one Brooklyn family is dealing with right now.
The fatal elevator accident
According to the New York City Police Department, the local was an elevator mechanic’s apprentice when he was killed in this work-site accident. He was helping the main elevator mechanic repair an elevator in a building on East Clarke Place, near the Grand Concourse. The New York City Department of Buildings described the work as modernization of the elevator, which tenants said had been out for months in the six-story building. Both the NYDB and NYPD stated that, during the repair, the elevator gave way and fell. This crushed the Brooklyn native at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
A life lost at the beginning of his life
The elevator mechanic’s apprentice was 25-years-old and a newlywed. Him and his now widow were just at the beginning of their life. They were just married last September in a Russian Orthodox church after her husband converted to his wife’s religion.
Work-related deaths
For Brooklyn, New York, residents who have been injured on the job or the families of loved one’s lost at work, there are options. For the immediate aftermath, both injured workers and surviving family members can look to workers’ compensation to help with their immediate medical and financial needs. However, they should still contact an attorney because there may be third-parties that may have liability, especially for those killed on a job site that is not owned by their employer, like the local killed here.