New York City and its surrounding suburbs in Long Island and Westchester are busy places. Old buildings are being renovated and torn down, and new construction is constantly going up. Weitz & Luxenberg has been at the forefront of protecting the workers and tradespeople who built this city for over 30 years.
Much of the work W&L’s negligence and personal injury litigation group handles involves cases where workers were injured at construction sites. W&L attorneys bring lawsuits against companies when their negligence contributes to worker injuries.
Members of our legal team are often called upon to assist with a wide variety of construction accident cases. Negligence attorney Adam Raffo plays a key role in securing large settlements on behalf of our clients.
Many of these lawsuits are successfully settled without going to court. This is due to the knowledge our attorneys have of how New York’s Labor Law can benefit our injured clients.
Here are several of our firm’s recent successes.
$4 Million Settlement for Painter’s Fall from Scaffold
W&L reached a settlement of $4 million for our client, injured due to the negligence of the company he worked for.
A young man working as a union painter fell 20 feet from a scaffold to the street. He was on an elevated platform when he stepped through a hole in the platform surface. He sustained serious injuries, including herniations to his lumbar spine and fractures to his heel and knee cap.
“In our lawsuit, we claimed the defendant had violated New York State Labor Law Section 240(1),” says Mr. Raffo. “The lift our client was provided with to access a metal structure two stories above street level was defective. He was not provided with appropriate fall prevention equipment, including specifically secure tie-off points to attach a safety harness and lanyard.”
$1.25 Million Settlement for Client Struck by Cinder Block Wall
W&L achieved a settlement of $1.25 million for our client. Our client was a middle-aged laborer. He suffered severe neck and back injuries when a partially constructed cinder block wall toppled over on him on a windy day.
“At the time of the accident, he was a citizen of the Dominican Republic who was living and working in the United States with a green card,” Mr. Raffo discloses. A green card is also known as a permanent resident card.
“In our suit, we alleged our client was injured because the defendants did not provide appropriate safety devices to secure the wall and safeguard workers on the job site.”
$950,000 Settlement for Construction Worker’s Torn Rotator Cuff
Sometimes, injuries can happen unexpectedly, due to events outside of our client’s control. This is especially true when vehicles are involved. W&L was able to recover almost $1 million dollars for a construction worker who was injured when this happened to him.
“Our client was knocked off a lift truck when it was bumped by a motor vehicle passing by the work zone,” Mr. Raffo declares. “He fell eight feet from the platform and sustained a rotator cuff tear. He needed to undergo arthroscopic surgery.”
Six-Figure Settlement for Worker Stepping into Unsecured Hole
W&L negotiated a settlement in the mid six-figures for a worker who was our client. “He was an ironworker who stepped into a hole at a jobsite. A plywood cover should have been protecting the hole, but it became loose and shifted,” says Mr. Raffo.
“We recognized the potential violation of an Industrial Code contained in the NYCRR,” continues Mr. Raffo. “We brought a claim under section 241(6) of the New York State Labor Law citing a violation of 12 NYCRR 23-1.7 (b)(1)(i).”
Mr. Raffo points out the law requires that, “Hazardous openings at construction sites should be guarded with appropriate covers or railings.”
$370,000 Financial Recovery for Injured Carpenter
An older carpenter injured on the job got a large financial settlement, thanks to the hard work of his W&L attorney. “Our client was working as a carpenter when he stumbled. His foot became ensnared in an unsecured tarp. The tarp was purportedly being used to protect carpeting at an office build-out, where our client was doing finishing work for a subcontractor,” Mr. Raffo states.
“After stumbling, our client caught himself and did not fall to the ground. He initially thought he had simply tweaked his groin. He visited an urgent care facility and returned to work the following day,” Mr. Raffo explains.
Over the next several months, our client carried on working. But his discomfort continued. He followed up with a specialist and realized the accident had aggravated a preexisting condition. Ultimately, he needed to undergo surgery.
“In our suit, we alleged the tarp constituted a tripping hazard. We filed a lawsuit against the owner of the building, the tenant remodeling the office, and the general contractor tasked with overseeing the jobsite,” details Mr. Raffo.
“We claimed the general contractor had not hired a sufficient number of laborers to clean and secure the worksite. We also learned that the laborer who normally handled cleanup for the job site had gotten sick the day before the accident and had not secured the jobsite,” Mr. Raffo adds. “All of these facts led to the desired settlement for our client.”
Large Settlement for Undocumented Construction Worker
In another case on behalf of a client who was not a U.S. citizen, W&L was able to obtain a settlement in the mid-six-figures. “Our client fell off a baker scaffold at a Long Island construction site,” Mr. Raffo states. “He sustained a head injury and a fracture to his wrist, after he extended it to break his fall.”
Mr. Raffo explains, “Our client came to the U.S. from Ecuador on a travel visa. He overstayed his visa but chose to remain in here and work in the construction trades.”
He continues, “Although not a U.S. citizen, our client is a New York worker. All New York workers are covered by many labor and employment laws, regardless of their immigration status.”
Weitz & Luxenberg Handles Complex Labor Law Cases
“Claims under New York State Labor Laws can be complicated,” reveals Mr. Raffo. “They are usually highly fact specific. In fact, there are so many wrinkles in this area of law that what might be important or relevant to one client’s claim might be a non-issue for another client’s case.”
You want to hire an attorney and a law firm with the experience, assets, and knowledge in handling claims specifically originating out of New York State Labor Law violations.
“Weitz & Luxenberg has been protecting the men and women who have built New York City and this country for almost 40 years,” Mr. Raffo declares. “Our attorneys have the skills, resources, and tenacity to dig into a set of facts and keep digging and pushing. We do this until you are justly compensated for the pain, suffering, and financial damages you and your family have experienced due to the negligence of others.”
Over the years, W&L has won more than $19 billion on behalf of our clients harmed by the actions and inactions of others. We are prepared to represent you.
