Jury awards injured worker $5.3M

• An ironworker in New Jersey was living off a monthly $2,688 worker’s compensation check after he suffered an injury at a Downtown Jersey City high-rise construction.
• Donald Hoiland and his wife filed for bankruptcy two years later, but a Hudson County jury awarded him $5.3 million in compensatory damages.
• Two years later, Hoiland filed the lawsuit against AJD, the developer, and other companies working on the $289 million project at the site of the former Hudson County Boys and Girls Club.
• Hoiland’s attorney argued that it had been alleged that to maximize profits, AJD had the prior demolished building used as fill on the site, leaving large chunks of concrete, wood, and glass strewn about the site, including on the job.
  Read more

Industry trends for the coming year

• Sedgwick published “Connect 2024,” which highlights major industry trends and issues that employers, carriers, brokers, and risk management and human resources professionals should watch throughout the coming year.
• Insurers and policyholders have been faced with increasing claims volumes stemming from natural disasters, civil unrest, and geopolitical developments.
• Organizations across all industries continue to face shifts in the global economy, market conditions, and regulatory requirements. In the current market, organizations are considering not just compliance factors, but also brand and reputational challenges.
• The combination of artificial intelligence and integrated data has had a profound influence across industries and will continue to make waves as it reshapes work dynamics, interpersonal interactions, and cognitive processes.
  Read more

New York Workers Compensation Board launches toolkit

• The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board launched a new online resource to help workers who become injured or ill because of their jobs.
• The Injured Worker’s Toolkit is designed to ensure anyone who suffers a work-related illness or injury can easily understand their rights, how to file a claim, and the resources available to them as they heal and get back on their feet.
• The new toolkit, available at wcb.ny.gov/iwtoolkit, explains how the workers’ compensation system works, and what the benefits are, and provides key deadlines as it guides the reader through the process of filing a claim.
• The toolkit also shares information on useful resources, including language access, social services, and vocational rehabilitation, as well as details related to medical care and treatment, including the types of providers who can be authorized to treat injured workers.
  Read more

Washington firefighters rescue an injured worker

• Firefighters in Washington, D.C., used a crane to rescue a worker from a rooftop under construction in the Northwest section of the city.
• Crews were dispatched to the 600 block of Park Road Northwest, near Hook Hall, to conduct the rescue just before 8 a.m.
• Using a crane and a basket called a stokes, the injured worker was successfully lowered four stories to the ground. A firefighter rode down with the injured worker.
• Firefighters described the injuries as not life-threatening.
  Read more