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ghosttruck

Level 57 Taco Wizard
full


He knows who to call if he wants to sue.

A billboard worker wound up in the hospital Tuesday morning when he tumbled off a rooftop sign in Brooklyn that happened to be touting the famed personal injury law firm Cellino & Barnes, family and officials said.

David Fricker, 49, was working on the billboard around 10:28 a.m. near the corner of Church and Flatbush Avenues when he plunged 10 feet to a rooftop below, his step-son and FDNY officials said.

Fricker is now recovering in Kings County Hospital with a fractured back and a concussion, according to his step son and wife — who are now demanding answers from his employer, Lamar Advertising, on how their loved one fell.

“Rest assured I will find out because I want to know what happened and they’re not answering our questions,” Fricker’s stepson James Sanabria, 36, told The Post Tuesday.

Sanabria and his mother got the news from a secretary they know at the company, but no one there has called to officially explain what happened or to express any sympathy, he claims.

“We’re completely frustrated, my mother is completely upset and beside herself right now,” Sanabria said.

“He’s been with the company a long time, at least 14 years. I’m a little shocked and upset that they didn’t want to check on their own worker.”

Sanabria said he believes his step-dad was wearing his harness when he fell, because it was brought with him to the hospital and doctors had to remove it.

When he inspected the harness, he saw no damage to it.

“We know he had his harness on but no ones giving us a direct answer,” said Sanabria.

The family is waiting for doctors to do a CTE scan on Fricker’s brain to see if the bleeding has gone done.

 
Agreeing with @Satanica that he would normally just fill out the paperwork to get workmen's comp and a lawyer actually might take care of the rest. Normally, there wouldn't be debate regarding whether or not he got workmen's comp and the only debate would be additional funds for negligence on behalf of Lamar Advertising.

The only reason I can imagine that Lamar Advertising would avoid the situation is that if the worker was hired as an independent contractor. The article calls him an employee, but that might not be technically be accurate. Wiki says there are more than 200 locations for the company so it's not a small company problem.

Anyone know how it works if he was a contractor? I would guess he would legally be at fault if the harness wasn't properly attached or if the equipment was faulty, but I have no experience here.

Hope he gets compensation somehow since his family will definitely need it.
 
This will be investigated by OSHA also.
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Agreeing with @Satanica that he would normally just fill out the paperwork to get workmen's comp and a lawyer actually might take care of the rest. Normally, there wouldn't be debate regarding whether or not he got workmen's comp and the only debate would be additional funds for negligence on behalf of Lamar Advertising.

The only reason I can imagine that Lamar Advertising would avoid the situation is that if the worker was hired as an independent contractor. The article calls him an employee, but that might not be technically be accurate. Wiki says there are more than 200 locations for the company so it's not a small company problem.

Anyone know how it works if he was a contractor? I would guess he would legally be at fault if the harness wasn't properly attached or if the equipment was faulty, but I have no experience here.

Hope he gets compensation somehow since his family will definitely need it.

If he was an independent contractor, then he has to have his own insurance and his client (vs. employer) would be indemnified.
 
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Sanabria said he believes his step-dad was wearing his harness when he fell, because it was brought with him to the hospital and doctors had to remove it.

When he inspected the harness, he saw no damage to it.

“We know he had his harness on but no ones giving us a direct answer,” said Sanabria.
Just because he had his harness on doesn't mean he was hooked up.

And come on. It was only 10 feet. This guy must be a real pansy.
 
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