Queens Construction Accident Attorney
As a construction worker in Queens, you risk your safety and livelihood every day. Despite state and federal safety regulations designed to keep you safe on job sites, accidents are still commonplace.
If you’ve been injured in a construction accident in Queens, New York, it’s easy to get overwhelmed as costs rise and you find yourself out of work. The experienced Queens construction accident lawyers at The Platta Law Firm can help you fight for the monetary award you need and deserve.
At The Platta Law Firm, we’ve dedicated our careers to helping injured construction workers and devastated families fight back after accidents on New York City job sites. Collectively, our award-winning trial attorneys have 150+ years of experience and an unrivaled ability to make a positive impact in the lives of the people we represent. Our law firm has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits, settlements, and jury awards. Today, we’re ready to fight for you. Schedule a free consultation by contacting our NYC law office today. We’re available to help 24/7.
Table of Contents
ToggleThe Platta Law Firm is a Leader in Construction Accident Litigation in Queens
Construction accident litigation is incredibly complex. If you want to make sure that you exhaust your legal options and recover the maximum financial award you deserve, it will be important to hire a Queens personal injury lawyer with extensive experience handling construction accident cases like yours. Here’s why The Platta Law Firm is regularly trusted by injured construction workers in Queens:
- Our attorneys have over 150 years of combined experience.
- We’ve helped to shape construction accident law in New York City and secure critical safety safeguards for construction workers like you.
- Our case results speak volumes, with hundreds of millions of dollars recovered.
- We offer the best of both worlds: personalized legal representation typically associated with small law firms and the monetary resources offered by big-box litigators.
- Members of our team have been awarded with top honors in the legal industry, including Super Lawyers.
- It costs nothing to hire our personal injury law firm in Queens unless we win your construction accident case.
When you hire our law firm, we’ll fight for you like family. You don’t have to take our word for it – countless Facebook and Google reviews highlight the positive aspects of working with our team. Now is the time to fight for your future. Let our construction accident attorneys in Queens help. Your first consultation is free, so call our law office in New York City today.
How Common Are Construction Accidents in Queens, NY?
Few jobs are more dangerous than construction. In fact, data suggests that half of the most dangerous jobs to have are in construction. In a city like New York where it seems like something is always under construction, there’s no shortage of job sites.
Demands for construction projects have increased significantly in Queens and other NYC boroughs in recent years. In 2022, 34,121 construction permits were issued for projects in Queens. Unfortunately, not all construction projects operate without incident. City data reveals a 9.7 percent increase in construction-related injuries between 2021 and 2022.
Queens is, statistically speaking, the third most dangerous borough in New York City for construction workers. In 2022, there were 100 construction-related incidents reported in the borough. Only Manhattan and Brooklyn reported more.
What Causes Most Queens Construction Accidents?
Construction projects in New York are heavily regulated by NYC law, state law, and mandates established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
These regulations, when followed, help to ensure that job sites are safe and that workers are not susceptible to accidents and injuries that can be easily avoided. However, these laws and regulations only work when they’re followed.
Construction projects can be expensive, and there are times when employers may attempt to cut corners to save time, money, and resources. In these instances, it becomes more likely that accidents will happen and that laborers will get hurt on the job. As a result, some of the most common causes of construction accidents in Queens, New York, include:
- Negligent hiring
- Inadequate training and supervision
- Failing to provide workers with proper safety gear and protective equipment
- Failing to provide mandated fall-prevention equipment when workers are on elevated platforms or surfaces
- Violations of New York’s Scaffolding Law
- Failing to inspect work equipment and tools regularly
- Failing to pull defective or malfunctioning equipment from use
- Demanding laborers to work in extreme temperatures or inclement weather
- Unsanitary or dirty working conditions
Ultimately, any deviation from accepted standards and practices within the construction industry can potentially cause an accident.
Leading Causes of Fatal Construction Accidents
Every year, thousands of construction workers across the nation are killed on the job. According to OSHA, there are four primary causes of fatal construction accidents. Known as the “Fatal Four,” they include:
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Struck-by
- Caught in/between
Together, these account for nearly 60 percent of all construction accident fatalities.
Decades of Experience Representing Clients in All Types of Queens Construction Accident Cases
At The Platta Law Firm, we’re committed to helping workers who have been injured in all types of construction accidents, including:
- Trenching accidents
- Excavation accidents
- Demolition accidents
- Scaffolding accidents
- Ladder accidents
- Crane and hoist accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Falls from heights
- Heavy machinery accidents
- Nail gun accidents
- Brazing accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Roofing accidents
- Explosions
- Building collapse accidents
- Welding accidents
- Hazardous material accidents
If a family member has been killed in a fatal construction accident in Queens, our law firm can help you recover compensation for your loss. Call our law office today to set up a time for a free consultation. We’ll listen to your story, explain your legal options, and help you figure out the best steps forward.
How to Recover Compensation After an Accident on a Queens Construction Site
As a construction worker in Queens, you’re protected if you get hurt in an accident on a job site. Typically, you’ll have the right to recover workers’ compensation benefits and, in some cases, the option of seeking additional damages from a third party.
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation provides an accelerated path to financial recovery after being injured in a construction accident. As long as you’re a qualifying employee who suffers a work-related injury, you can file a claim with your employer’s insurance company to recover benefits for:
- Medical expenses
- Temporary lost wages
- Permanently lost wages
- Disability
- Survivor benefits
While workers’ compensation can help to get money in your hands quickly, it’s important to note that benefits are capped. Wage benefits are limited to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory limit.
Construction Accident Lawsuit
Since you are covered by workers’ compensation, you’ll waive the right to file a lawsuit against your employer after your construction accident.
However, you can still sue a liable third party – like a property owner, contractor, manufacturer, or co-worker. When you file a construction accident lawsuit, you can seek economic and non-economic damages for:
- Current and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing assistance
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Mental anguish
- Chronic physical pain
- Loss of consortium
- Inconvenience
- Funeral expenses
New York law provides that punitive damages can be awarded if a construction accident lawsuit goes to court. These are applicable when a jury finds by clear and convincing evidence that a defendant acted with malice or consciously disregarded your safety. Our construction accident attorneys in Queens will carefully evaluate your situation and help you exhaust every option for recovering compensation.
Helping You Fight to Get Compensation For All of Your Construction Accident Injuries
No matter your specialty, you can suffer debilitating injuries if you’re involved in a construction accident in Queens, NY. At The Platta Law Firm, our team will be there to help you seek damages for all of your injuries:
- Burn injury
- Amputation
- Degloving injury
- Crushing injury
- Internal organ damage
- Eye injury
- Vision loss
- Tinnitus
- Soft tissue injury
- Repetitive motion injury
- Broken bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Brain injury
- Concussion
- Spinal cord injury
- Paralysis
- Back injury
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death of a family member
Report your accident to your employer right away. Under New York law, you must file a report within 30 days to preserve your ability to recover workers’ compensation benefits. Then, do not delay seeking medical treatment at the closest hospital in Queens. Prompt care will be vital to your health and the success of any future legal claims you file.
How Long Will I Have to Recover Compensation After a queens Construction Accident?
The filing deadline for your accident claim will depend on how you decide to pursue compensation.
- Workers’ compensation: two years from the date of your construction accident
- Personal injury lawsuit: three years from the date of your construction accident
- Wrongful death lawsuit: two years from the date of a construction worker’s death
You have to file your claim before the applicable statute of limitations expires. Once time runs out, so does your ability to assert your rights and ask for the compensation you deserve.
Call Our Trusted Queens Construction Accident Lawyers For Help Today
Were you injured on a construction site in Queens, New York? Don’t hesitate to contact The Platta Law Firm. Our top-rated Queens construction accident lawyers can help you explore your legal options and fight for the maximum financial recovery you deserve.
As a leader in construction accident litigation in New York, our law firm has helped countless clients move forward after life-changing accidents. Now, we’re here to put our experience and unrivaled knowledge of New York construction accident law to work for you. Contact our NYC law office to arrange a free, no-obligation case evaluation today.
Queens Neighborhoods We Serve
Northwestern Queens
Astoria, Astoria Heights, Ditmars Steinway, Little Egypt, Jackson Heights, Long Island City, Blissville, Hunters Point, Dutch Kills, Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Sunnyside, and Sunnyside Gardens.
Southwestern Queens
The Hole, Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Lindenwood, Old Howard Beach, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, and Woodhaven.
Central Queens
Briarwood, Corona, LeFrak City, North Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, Fresh Pond, Glendale, Jackson Heights, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park, Ridgewood, and Woodside.
Northeastern Queens
Bayside, Bayside Hills, Fort Totten, Oakland Gardens, Bellerose, College Point, Douglaston, Little Neck, Flushing, Auburndale, Broadway-Flushing, Chinatown, Downtown Flushing, Kew Gardens Hills, Koreatown, Linden Hill, Murray Hill, Willets Point, Pomonok, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Utopia, Glen Oaks, Whitestone, Beechhurst, Clearview, and Malba.
Southeastern Queens
Bellaire, Brookville, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates, Jamaica Hills, South Jamaica, Rochdale Village, St. Albans, Laurelton, Meadowmere, Queens Village, Rosedale, and Springfield Gardens.
The Rockaways
Arverne, Bayswater, Belle Harbor, Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Hammels, Neponsit, Rockaway Beach, Rockaway Park, and Roxbury.