While working on the 17th floor of the Chrysler Building, our client was assigned to clean and move massive 2,000-pound stones while standing on a hanging scaffold high above the ground. To move the stones, he was instructed to use a manual hand hoist, even though he did not have the proper licensing to operate this kind of equipment safely.
The danger of this setup became clear when the scaffold malfunctioned. As it failed, the hoist struck him directly, hitting him in the head and back. It was a violent and frightening accident that could have been avoided entirely if he had been given equipment he was properly trained and licensed to use.
What happened next made things even worse. Despite being injured, he was told to keep working and was discouraged from reporting the incident at all. Instead of getting the medical attention and support he needed right away, he was pressured to push through the pain and stay silent about what had happened to him. We fought to bring this negligence to light and hold the responsible parties accountable, both for the unsafe equipment and for the mistreatment that followed.