New York construction accident lawyer.

Why New York construction cases are different.

LABOR LAW § 240(1)

New York Labor Law § 240(1), the Scaffold Law, imposes absolute liability on property owners and general contractors when a worker is injured in a gravity-related accident: a fall from a ladder, scaffold, roof, or other elevation, or being struck by a falling object that should have been secured. When the statute applies, the owner and contractor are liable for the failure to provide proper protection. In most § 240(1) cases, your own comparative fault is not a defense.

That is not how ordinary negligence works, and it is why defendants and their insurers treat these cases seriously. Statutory liability changes the negotiation.

Workers' comp is not the ceiling.

Workers' compensation generally prevents you from suing your own employer, and it pays only a fraction of what an injury actually costs: partial wages and medical bills, nothing for pain and suffering. But comp does not stop you from suing the property owner, the general contractor, or other companies on the site. That third-party lawsuit is where full compensation lives: complete lost earnings, past and future, union benefits and annuity losses, medical care for life, and pain and suffering. You can collect workers' comp and pursue the lawsuit at the same time; the comp carrier's lien is handled at settlement.

Beyond section 240: the rest of the toolbox.

LABOR LAW § 241(6) · § 200

Not every site injury is a fall. Labor Law § 241(6) covers injuries caused by violations of New York's Industrial Code: unguarded machinery, debris and tripping hazards, electrical contact, trench and demolition failures. Labor Law § 200 and common-law negligence cover unsafe means and methods of work. A construction case is often built on several of these at once.

The injuries these cases involve.

• Spinal injuries, herniations, and fusion surgery
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Fractures requiring surgical hardware
• Shoulder and knee tears requiring repair
• Fatal accidents and wrongful death

What a case is worth turns on specifics: the surgery you needed, the work you can no longer do, your age, your trade, your future medical needs. No honest lawyer quotes a number before knowing them. We will tell you plainly what drives value in your case and what does not.

Deadlines.

Most New York construction injury claims must be filed within three years of the accident. If a public entity owns the site, a notice of claim may be due within 90 days. Site conditions get repaired, video gets overwritten, and coworkers scatter to other jobs. The investigation should start now.

Where we take construction cases.

We handle site injuries across the five boroughs and New York State, including Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, each of which builds differently and produces its own fact patterns. Struck by falling debris as a passerby rather than a worker? That is its own claim, and often a stronger one: see falling debris injuries.