NYC Construction Accident Lawyer

As leaders in construction accident litigation with 150+ years of collective experience, we’ve helped our clients recover hundreds of millions of dollars in life-changing benefits packages, settlements, and jury verdicts. Don’t settle for less than you deserve after your construction accident in New York City. Put our considerable experience, in-depth knowledge of New York construction law, and passion for justice to work for you. Schedule a free case evaluation by calling our NYC, NY law office at 212-514-5100 now.

The Platta Law Firm Difference in Your NYC Construction Accident Case

Here are just a few of the reasons why injured construction workers in New York City regularly seek out our top-rated legal team after on-the-job accidents:

• Our attorneys have more than 150 years of combined experience handling complex legal disputes like yours.
• We’re award-winning New York litigators who have been recognized by Super Lawyers, the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, and Lawyers of Distinction.
• We’ve forced insurance companies, employers, and other powerful adversaries to pay our clients hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.
• Through tireless advocacy for the rights of construction workers, our verdicts have literally helped to shape construction law in the state of New York.
• Clients benefit from the approachable, transparent, personalized legal representation they need and deserve.
• There’s absolutely no cost to hire our construction accident lawyers in NYC unless we win your case.
• We will assemble a team of expert witnesses and contact any potential witnesses at the scene of accident, including co-workers and other crew members.

Choosing our New York City personal injury lawyers can have a huge positive impact on your construction accident case. You don’t have to take our word for it – scores of reviews on Facebook, Google, and other social media platforms highlight the benefits of having our law firm in your corner.

We provide a free consultation to all new clients, so do not hesitate to call our NYC law office at 212-514-5100 to speak with a member of our team today.

We’ve Won Millions For Injured Construction Workers in New York City

Our award-winning trial attorneys regularly help injured construction laborers achieve meaningful results, including several individual million-dollar results. Notable construction accident case results for NYC laborers include:

• $48,000,000 Million for a construction worker who fell on a set of temporary wooden stairs on a Brooklyn project site and became permanently impaired.
• $8,500,000 Million for a 41-year-old mason tender injured in a scaffolding accident after his superiors failed to provide him with adequate lighting.
• $7,500,000 Million for a young sub-contractor who was struck by a construction metal bar during his coffee break and sustained a traumatic brain injury.
• $7,000,000 Million for a 33-year-old construction worker that fell after a scaffold collapsed and withstood additional impact from several cinderblocks falling atop of him.
• $4,495,000 Million for a 34-year-old construction worker injured in a demolition accident at a Long Island warehouse.
• $4,400,000 Million for a 34-year-old construction worker injured in a demolition accident in Nassau County.
• $4,220,000 Million for a 62-year-old man who fell from a scaffold while performing renovation work at a commercial property.
• $4,000,000 Million for a 55-year-old roofer who was injured after he fell off a ladder working on a school renovation project.
• $3,600,000 Million for a 53-year-old electrician who was working at the renovation of a commercial building and was hit by heavy planks that fell from a scaffold.
• $3,500,000 Million for a carpenter who was working on a staircase when he was suddenly struck by a massive 30-pound metal clamp to the head.

You’ll have one opportunity to fight for compensation after a construction accident in New York City. At The Platta Law Firm, we’re prepared to do everything in our power to help you make the most of your legal claim.

How Common Are Construction Accidents in NYC, NY?

The construction industry is incredibly dangerous. In fact, half of the nation’s most dangerous jobs are in construction. In New York City, construction workers account for about 5 percent of the workforce, but 27 percent of all workplace-related fatalities.

Statistically speaking, the most dangerous jobs in construction include crane operators, mining machine operators, cement masons, ironworkers, roofers, and derrick workers.

In a busy city like New York, there are always tons of construction projects underway. New York City is currently the fourth-largest construction industry in the nation, with more than 35,000 active projects across the five boroughs.

That means that, on any given day, thousands of NYC construction workers are putting their health, safety, and lives on the line. Unfortunately, despite strict regulations and protocols to limit accidents, workers are injured and killed on New York City construction sites every day. Based on the severity of these injuries, construction accidents in New York rake in some of the highest verdicts and settlements seen around the country.

According to the New York City Construction Safety Report, there were a total of 751 construction accidents reported citywide in 2022. This represented a 5.4 percent increase over the year prior.

In 2022, 554 construction workers were injured on the job, while at least 11 were killed in construction accidents across the city.

Based on this data, there are roughly two construction accidents a day in New York City. As a result of these accidents, between one and two workers are injured or killed on the job daily.

Decades of Experience Representing Workers in All Types of Construction Accident Cases

Construction is a vast industry, with multiple sub-specialties. When you’re injured on a construction site in New York, it’s important to work with an attorney who has experience handling a variety of construction accident claims.

Insight into how each type of accident is different and an understanding of which specific New York labor and construction laws will apply in a given situation can be instrumental to success. At The Platta Law Firm, our construction accident lawyers in New York have decades of combined experience advocating for workers in cases involving:

• Scaffolding accidents
• Ladder accidents
• Falls from heights
• Slip and fall accidents
• Trenching accidents
• Excavation accidents
• Crane accidents
• Hoist accidents
• Roofing accidents
• Electrical accidents
• Toxic exposure
• Building collapse accidents
• Structure failure accidents
• Gas explosions
• Hazardous materials accidents
• Brazing accidents
• Struck-by accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Explosion accidents
• Welding accidents

Our compassionate attorneys also represent families who have suffered the tragic loss of loved ones in fatal construction accidents in New York City. Do not hesitate to reach out to our experienced team for help if you or a loved one has been injured. We’re here to help whenever you need us most, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Paths to Recovering Compensation After a New York City Construction Accident

Generally speaking, there are two ways to potentially recover compensation if you’ve been hurt in a New York construction accident.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system that provides injured construction workers with an accelerated path to monetary benefits. Under the system, you can file a claim with your employer’s insurance company and request benefits for:

• Medical expenses for all reasonable and necessary treatment
• Temporary Total Disability (TTD)
• Temporary Partial Disability (TPD)
• Permanent Disability
• Death Benefits

There are many limitations to the amount of benefits you can receive, and for how long. For example, lost wage benefits are generally equal to two-thirds of the average wage you earned before getting hurt, subject to statutory limits. Benefits are typically payable until you reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) or for a limited period of time established by law, whichever is shorter.

Damages in a Construction Accident Lawsuit

Thanks to New York law, you might not be limited to workers’ compensation benefits when you’re injured on a NYC construction site.

You may also have the right to file a civil lawsuit for damages against a liable third party, such as an engineer, architect, property owner, general contractor, or co-worker. There’s also the potential to sue your employer if you were injured because of unsafe work conditions, violations of OSHA safety regulations, or dangerous work equipment. When you file a lawsuit, you can seek both economic and non-economic damages for:

• Current and future medical bills
• Temporary and/or permanent lost wages
• Disability
• Reduced earning capacity
• Rehabilitation
• Pain and suffering
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Disfigurement and physical scarring
• Loss of consortium
• Reduced quality of life
• Inconvenience
• Chronic physical pain

A construction accident lawsuits can also open the door to punitive damages. In New York, punitive damages can be awarded by a jury if there’s clear and convincing evidence of grossly negligent conduct or intentional harm.

Expect pushback when you pursue benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation policy and/or damages in a lawsuit. Trust that our NYC construction accident attorneys will fight for you and work to recover the maximum amount(s) payable to you under New York state law.

What Are the Top Causes of Fatal
Construction Accidents?

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there are four primary causes of construction accident fatalities. Known as the “Fatal Four,” these include:

Falls

Falls are the leading cause of construction worker deaths nationwide, accounting for 36.5 percent of all fatalities. Fall-related accidents often occur when workers are not provided with appropriate fall-prevention devices and guardrails, as a result of improperly constructed scaffolding, or when workers aren’t adequately trained to work at great heights.

Electrocution

Roughly 8.6 percent of construction accident deaths are caused by electrocution. Unsafe and defective tools, inadequate training, improperly grounded wires, and unmarked wires are leading causes of electrocution injuries on job sites.

Struck-By Objects

Unsafe working conditions, failing to adequately secure equipment, defective equipment, and unsafe work conditions can cause workers to be struck by debris on NYC construction sites. OSHA data reveals that 10.1 percent of construction accident fatalities are caused by workers being struck by objects.

Caught In/Between Objects

Laborers can become entangled in objects or machinery, especially if they wear loose closing or if equipment is defective. Approximately 2.5 percent of construction worker deaths are the result of being caught in/between objects.

NYC Construction Workers Can Suffer Debilitating Injuries in Job Site Accidents

All construction workers – regardless of trade – can suffer catastrophic injuries when things go wrong on the job site. At The Platta Law Firm, our construction accident lawyers in NYC are here to help you pursue compensation for all of your job-related injuries, including:

• Cuts and lacerations
• Burn injury
• Concussion
• Brain injury
• Crushing injury
• Degloving injury
• Amputation
• Whiplash
• Spinal cord injury
• Herniated discs
• Back injury
• Knee injury
• Broken bones and fractures
• Repetitive motion injury
• Soft tissue injury
• Internal organ damage
• Electrocution injury
• Catastrophic injury
• Wrongful death of a family member

If you get hurt while working on a New York City construction site, report the injury to your employer immediately. You must report your injury within a certain amount of time – typically 30 days – to preserve the right to collect workers’ compensation.

Seek prompt medical attention, as well. Get checked out even if you don’t think that your injuries are severe. Many times, the adrenaline rush of an accident can mask symptoms of trauma. If you let an injury linger, it can get worse and subject you to serious complications.

Once your condition is stable, reach out to our construction accident attorneys in New York to discuss your legal options. We can review your situation, explain your rights, and help you pursue a monetary award to cover your accident-related costs and suffering.

What’s the Statute of Limitations on Construction Accident Claims in New York?

The amount of time you’ll have to pursue compensation ultimately depends on the type of legal claim(s) you pursue.

• Workers’ compensation claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations.
• Construction accident lawsuits filed in state court are subject to a three-year statute of limitations.
• Wrongful death lawsuits must be initiated within two years of a NYC construction worker’s death.

You must file your claim and/or lawsuit before the applicable statute of limitations expires. You will lose the ability to assert your rights and recover compensation if the deadline expires before you take action.

What Should I Do If I’m Involved in a Construction Accident in NYC?

The steps you take after an accident on a NYC construction site are incredibly important. Your decisions can have a huge impact on your health and ability to recover compensation down the line. After your construction accident, make sure you:

• Report the accident to your supervisor/employer as soon as you can. You’ll lose the right to pursue workers’ compensation benefits if you don’t report your accident within 30 days.
• Seek prompt medical attention. The sooner you get help, the better. Many times, the rush of adrenaline you experience in an accident can mask signs and symptoms of serious trauma. Getting to the closest emergency room can ensure your injuries are diagnosed correctly and you get the treatment you need to improve.
• Gather evidence available to you. Whether you’re filing for worker’s compensation or pursuing damages with a lawsuit, you’ll need evidence to substantiate your claims. You can help your attorney by taking pictures of the scene of the accident, recording video footage of defective or unsafe work equipment, and getting the names of eyewitnesses to your accident.
• Consult an experienced accident attorney near you in New York. You’ll increase the odds of winning your case and maximizing your recovery by hiring an experienced attorney to handle your construction accident case. Once you’ve hired an attorney, direct all communication to them.

Don’t hesitate to contact the award-winning NYC construction accident attorneys at The Platta Law Firm after you’ve been hurt on a job site. We can help you obtain medical treatment, negotiate costs of care, handle administrative aspects of your case, and be there to support you every step of the way during your recovery.

What Labor Laws Protect NY Construction Workers?

Construction workers are protected by federal law – as enacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – and New York state law. New York has passed several laws that are specifically designed to enhance construction worker safety. These include:

• Labor Law 200
• Labor Law 240
• Labor Law 241

While each of these statutes serves a distinct purpose, their collective goal is to require employers to consider the health and safety of their workers at all stages of a construction project. This involves providing appropriate training, ensuring workers have reasonable and adequate safety gear, regularly inspecting premises and equipment, and taking particular care of workers on elevated platforms. Employers who violate sections of New York’s labor laws can be liable if a worker is injured or killed on the job.

Call Our Experienced New York Construction Accident Lawyers For Help Today

Getting into an accident on a New York City construction site can have immediate and potentially long-lasting consequences. Injuries can be incredibly painful and adversely affect your ability to do your job and earn a living. Fortunately, you have the option of taking legal action and fighting to recover compensation to make your road to recovery less challenging.

The Platta Law Firm can help you make the most of your pursuit of workers’ compensation benefits and/or damages in a lawsuit. Our New York construction accident lawyers have over 150 years of combined experience and a proven ability to help injured laborers recover life-changing monetary awards. We’ve successfully recovered hundreds of millions in damages for our clients. Today, we’re prepared to fight to get you every cent you deserve, too.

Contact our New York City, NY law office at 212-514-5100 to set up a time for a free consultation. We represent injured construction workers across the city in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and surrounding areas.