When an employee goes to their workplace, they can never be sure exactly what is going to happen. If your job involves the use of heavy machinery, there is always a danger that you will suffer a catastrophic injury and never be the same again. This was the sad reality for a laundry worker in Paterson.
On what should have been an ordinary day on the job, 55-year-old Rosalba Peralta lost her hand following an accident involving a commercial ironing machine. She was employed by Star Laundry, a facility that processes bed sheets for the hotel industry. According to court documents, Peralta suffered “crush and degloving injuries” when her hand was caught in the powerful machine used to press linens, leading to a traumatic amputation necessitated by the damage she suffered.
Peralta filed a lawsuit against her former employer in New Jersey Superior Court, alleging that the laundromat’s unsafe working environment directly led to her injury. Her claim recounts gruesome details, including that a technician who would have been able to free her from the machine was not at work this day. This meant that Peralta’s hand remained caught in the press for so long that she was forced to call 911 herself using her other hand.
According to her complaint, the press used by Peralta has a safety guard specifically designed to prevent workers’ fingers being getting trapped in the machine as they move sheets into the rollers. This guard would shut the machine down when someone’s hand came too close. However, Peralta says supervisors disabled the guard, because the safety-related stops slowed the work down. As someone new to the machine, she did not have a full understanding as to how it worked, and when her hand got trapped, it was crushed and burned in 300-degree heat.
Employers are legally obligated to ensure that their employees are working in conditions that minimize the risk of injury. In cases where safety protocols are not followed, and an employee is injured as a result, the employer can be held liable for negligence. Star Laundry might face extra problems because they never even reported the accident to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Losing a hand or another type of catastrophic injury is not only physically devastating but also emotionally and psychologically scarring. The loss of a limb can lead to lifelong challenges, including the need for prosthetics, extensive rehabilitation and the emotional toll of adjusting to a new way of life. For workers like Peralta who suffer life-altering injuries on the job, pursuing legal action is often the only way to seek justice and compensation for their losses. Payment can cover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and the cost of future care.
Seigel Law represents New Jersey victims of catastrophic injuries. If you or someone you love suffered life-changing physical harm because of someone else’s negligence or willful misconduct, reach out to us. You can receive a free consultation by calling [ln::phone] or contacting us online. Our office is in Ridgewood.