Jersey City’s department of public safety announced that a construction worker was killed while delivering sheetrock to a construction site. The accident reportedly occurred on Nov. 3 around 9 a.m. in the downtown.
According to reports, the man died when a tape measure was dropped from above, falling 50 stories and striking him on the head. Apparently, the tape measure fell off a worker’s tool belt while he was working on the building’s 50th floor. When it fell, it reportedly first struck some construction equipment that was approximately 10 to 15 feet off the ground before ricocheting and striking the 58-year-old man in the head.
At the time of the accident, the man had apparently stopped to speak to another worker sitting in a pickup truck. As a result of his injuries, he was transported to a hospital for treatment. He died at the hospital. Police reported that he was employed by National Gypsum, but a company representative stated that he was only delivering the company’s products and was actually employed by an independent trucking company. The man was from Somerdale.
When people are killed in a workplace accident, workers’ compensation laws provide that the family of the killed worker may be able to get compensation for their losses through filing a workers’ compensation claim. Employers in New Jersey are mandated by law to carry workers’ compensation coverage in order to help those injured or killed while working on the job. Employers are also mandated to minimize hazards by implementing safety standards and regulations. In addition to any medical expenses incurred as a result of the accident, families may be able to recover damages for the employee’s lost and future income, funeral expenses, related counseling expenses and other damages associated with the loss of their loved one.
Source: CBS News, “Falling tape measure kills construction worker in N.J.“, November 03, 2014