A 29-year-old asbestos abatement worker was assigned to demolish the roof of a structure in Nassau County. To do the job safely, he needed the right equipment, like a fall protection system or a baker scaffold. He was never given either one. Instead, he was told to stand directly on the roof he was tearing apart. While he stood on one of the roof joists doing his work, one joist suddenly broke beneath him. He had nothing to stop his fall and dropped down with the collapsing structure. The accident left him with serious injuries to his shoulder and neck.
The defendants tried to shift the blame onto him. They argued the accident was his own fault and claimed his neck injuries had nothing to do with the fall. But the facts told a different story. He was never given the safety equipment he needed, and the roof gave way while he was simply doing the job he was assigned. Because of the strength of the case, the matter settled at the very first mediation, sparing our client the stress of a lengthy trial while still securing the compensation he deserved.