Arrest of New York City Crane Inspector for Allegedly Taking Bribes Shines Light on the Need to Keep Laws Which Hold Owners, Developers and Contractor

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 10, 2008 -- The arrest of New York City Crane Inspector James Delayo for allegedly taking bribes, on the heels of three recent deadly construction crane accidents (http://www.perecman.com/?pageId=378&rowId=14523), shines a light on the need to keep the laws which hold owners, developers, contractors and crane operators responsible for construction crane accidents, strong.

David H. Perecman, Secretary, of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and Co-chair of its Labor Law Committee, a veteran construction accident attorney (http://www.perecman.com/?pageId=378&rowId=14523) and founder of New York City injury attorneys The Perecman Firm spoke out for the safety of the citizens of New York City. "Despite efforts of the government to regulate the construction industry, the task is overwhelming. Inspectors can't keep up with the construction boom and don't have the same incentive as construction accident victim's lawyers to do so. What has to happen is that the laws have to be kept strong by the legislature and the courts. Only by hitting owners, developers and contractors in the pocket will they make sure accidents don't continue to happen, lives and families won't be destroyed and those who are responsible will act responsibly," explained Mr. Perecman.

"What the public may not know is that while all these accidents keep on happening there are currently multiple bills pending in the New York Sate Legislature to weaken the laws the govern construction accident liability. We need to ensure that the laws protecting New Yorkers are maintained and strengthened, not weakened by lobbyists for the contractors, developers and their insurance companies," Perecman says.

Perecman says, "That is the role trial lawyers fill. When an accident happens we find out why. We take the owners and contractors to court and force them and their insurance companies to own up to their mistakes and compensate the victims and their families for what they have lost. No one can replace a lost life and lost health but the least that can be done is making sure that the victims do not suffer financially."

The office of Robert Morgenthau, the Manhattan District Attorney, announced the arrest of James Delayo on June 6, 2008. Delayo, the chief inspector for Cranes and Derricks, he has been charged with accepting bribes from crane operators and crane companies. The charges relate to events between 2002 and 2007 and are not connected to the recent construction crane accidents (http://www.perecman.com/?pageId=378&rowId=14523) in New York City. Delayo is responsible for crane operator examinations, the supervision of other crane inspectors and annual crane inspections; he allegedly accepted bribes ranging from $200 to re-certify cranes that had not been inspected to $3000 in exchange for giving a copy of the crane operator's examination to a crane company operator.

"Unfortunately, this sad practice comes as no shock to anyone who is familiar with the construction industry. The bigger question is can or will it ever be changed enough to keep our construction sites and streets safe," asks Perecman.

Perecman says, "Let us do our jobs. I will continue to work on behalf of construction victims rights in my role with New York State Trial Lawyers Association and in the courts. As a New York construction accident lawyer I, will continue to testify before New York State Assembly committees and meet with the Mayor's task force assigned to inquire into the recent rise in construction accidents."

A New York City construction accident attorney (http://www.perecman.com/?pageId=378&rowId=14523), Mr. Perecman has won numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in personal injury cases, including construction accident injuries, hospital deaths and medical errors.

About David H. Perecman and The Perecman Firm:

For the past 25 years, construction accident attorney David H. Perecman co-founder of New York City injury attorneys at The Perecman Firm has championed all types of personal injury and construction cases in New York State. David Perecman is the current Secretary of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and a chair of its Construction Accident Law Committee. Mr. Perecman, selected as an Honoree in the National Law Journal's 2008 Hall of Fame appeared in 2007 in New York Magazine as among "The Best Lawyers in America" and in The New York Times Magazine "New York Super Lawyers, Metro Edition" recognizing his work mostly for his work as a construction accident attorney, has recovered millions of dollars for his clients over the course of his career. Among his more recent victories, Mr. Perecman won a $15 million verdict* for an injured NYC construction worker. Mr. Perecman has spent his career advocating for injured victims' rights, including his recent statements regarding New York City crane construction accidents. The New York City injury attorneys (http://www.perecman.com/?pageId=378&rowId=14523) at The Perecman Firm have a depth of expertise in and breadth of knowledge well recognized in NYC, while their record and reputation speaks for itself.

* subsequently settled for $7.94 Million

* case number MO8OO1298

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