A painting contractor suffered life-threatening injuries Friday after falling two stories at a home in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The fall happened just before noon on Overbrook Road, sending emergency crews rushing to the Bergen County block.
According to Daily Voice, village police, firefighters, EMS crews, and paramedics from The Valley Hospital all responded to the scene on Overbrook Road. The injured contractor was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center's main campus, the outlet reported.
Driver Cited Near the Scene
As first responders worked the fall at the Ridgewood home, a driver was issued a summons after disregarding police instructions to detour around the street where emergency vehicles were operating, per the same report. The incident occurred on Overbrook Road while crews tended to the injured worker.
It remains unclear whether the fall will be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the report noted. Under federal rules, OSHA requires employers to report a work-related incident when it results in in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours of the event, according to OSHA. Whether this fall met those conditions, or whether a report was ultimately filed, has not been established.
Falls Remain a Leading Construction Hazard
Falls to a lower level are the leading cause of death in construction nationwide, with 389 fatal falls recorded among 1,034 total construction fatalities in 2024, according to OSHA's fall prevention campaign. In New Jersey specifically, falls, slips and trips accounted for 17 worker deaths, or 20 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state, a slightly higher share than the 17 percent reported nationally, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
No further details about the contractor's identity, employer, or specific injuries have been released. The circumstances that led to the fall, including any equipment or job-site conditions involved, have not been confirmed.
