On The Job Accidents

If you are involved in an accident at work, Workers' Compensation may not be your only remedy. Very often workplace accidents are caused by people or entities who are not your employer. The Workers' Compensation laws prohibit you from bringing an action against your employers. But there are exceptions even to that rule.

Under the laws of New York State, construction workers as well as other employees have extraordinary rights. These rights are particularly strong regarding construction site accidents.

Sections 240 and 241 of the Labor law hold that both the owners and the general contractor must supply a safe place to work. The following are examples of situations where the law firm of Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik,Viener & Grossman has successfully obtained compensation for injured workers:

1. Injuries resulting from falls from height, from a beam, ladder or elevated working space including scaffolds.

2. Workers who were struck by falling objects on a job site.

3. Workers who tripped and fell as a result of uneven or unclean flooring.

In certain situations, even if a worker causes their own accident, they have the right to sue. For example, if a worker does something wrong when he is on a scaffold he has an absolute right of recovery without any setoffs for his conduct.

In one of the labor law cases handled by our office, a worker on a demolition site was standing in the bucket of a hi-low cutting down an overhead beam. First, he cut one end and then the other. As the beam began to fall, the hi-low shifted and the beam fell on him. The hi-low had been placed improperly on a pile of rubble. The beam caused severe injuries to our client's foot. Our law firm was able to obtain a substantial recovery because the court held that the hi-low was elevated, falling within one of the labor law exceptions.

Our law firm has been handling labor law cases for over twenty-five years. Our experienced staff understands the labor law exceptions and knows how to aggressively advocate for our clients' rights.

If you were injured on the job, please contact our office for a free consultation.