Workplace accidents can happen in any profession. However, accidents are far more common and serious in the construction industry due to the nature of the work. One New York worker who was injured on a construction site recently successfully settled his injury lawsuit for $1.2 million.
The lawsuit stemmed from an accident when the worker slipped while going up scaffolding. He was a worker at a Brooklyn school renovation site when his injuries occurred in 2009. As a result of the construction accident, the worker suffered knee injuries. He was working as a laborer for Manley Construction Company at the time.
On the day of the accident, the worker was attaching heavy plastic over the school’s windows. He was alone as he climbed up the scaffolding to a platform. According to his lawyer, ladders were supposed to be placed to give workers access to the platform from the scaffolding. However, there were no ladders in place in the area where he was working. The lack of ladders forced the worker to climb up a pipe frame. While doing so, he slipped and twisted his knee. To avoid falling to the ground below, the worker had to reach out and grab the frame. It was at this point he suffered injuries to both his wrist and knee, resulting in a torn meniscus. He subsequently had to undergo a complete knee replacement when arthroscopic surgery failed to fix his injuries.
According to the worker’s attorney, he has not been able to go back to work as a result of his injuries. He also continues to be in “severe pain and disability.” His lawsuit sued the general contractor, New York Stone Co., Inc., under the state’s Labor Law. The law requires a construction site owner and contractor to provide for worker safety. A failure to do so holds both responsible for worker injury. As part of the $1.2 million settlement, the worker waived his worker’s compensation lien.
Source: www.SILive.com, “Staten Island worker settles injury suit for $1.2 million,” Frank Donnelly, July 15, 2013