Brooklyn Construction Accident Lawyer

May 12, 2022
Steven Schwartzapfel

How Common Are Brooklyn Construction Accidents?

Brooklyn is the site of major construction projects all year round. Unfortunately, this also means that Brooklyn construction accidents are fairly common, as are construction accidents throughout New York City.

In 2019, for instance, the New York Department of Buildings reported nearly 600 construction-related injuries on New York City building worksites. One year later, 2020 recorded over 500 construction-related injuries as well. Furthermore, both years combined had 20 construction-related fatalities.

That means Brooklyn construction workers and their families must know what to do if they or a loved one are ever injured on a NYC worksite. Because, while you may be eligible for workers’ compensation payouts, you will likely require the help of an experienced legal professional to get the money you deserve to pay for your medical bills.

Causes of Brooklyn Construction Accidents

Brooklyn construction accidents can be caused by a variety of factors, including employer or supervisor negligence.

Negligence is defined as:

A stated or implied duty that is ignored or purposefully not met by a party

For example, construction site contractors or employers have a duty to provide their employees with safety gear, safety training, and other safety measures. If they fail to do these things, they could be found negligent for any accidents that occur to their employees and on their worksites.

Brooklyn construction accidents can occur due to:

Inappropriate safety gear being used. For example, if safety gear needs to be replaced or upgraded but is not, workers could be improperly exposed to hazards.
No safety gear being provided to employees. In an effort to cut costs or rush work, some contractors or employers may not provide their employees with proper safety equipment.
Failing to provide employees with safety warnings or guidelines. For example, if a worksite is exposed to toxic gas but workers are not alerted, they could be exposed to the gas and suffer injuries as a result.

Some workplace accidents are truly accidental. Nevertheless, even in these cases, workers are usually entitled to workers’ compensation payouts. These payouts are intended to pay for past and future medical bills, money lost from time spent away from work, and more.

Construction Accident Injuries

Workplace injuries can range from moderate to severe depending on the specifics of the construction accident. Construction accident injuries often include but are not limited to:

Broken bones
Cuts or deeper lacerations
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Spinal injuries or paralysis
Major skin burns or related injuries
Blindness and/or other debilitating sight-related injuries

Because of their severity, many construction accident injuries incur very expensive medical bills. These bills often run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. For average Brooklyn construction workers, such bills can prove impossible to pay off without assistance.

Therefore, they rely on workers’ compensation insurance payouts or compensation from negligent parties through lawsuits. In both cases and more, Brooklyn construction accident attorneys can help you get the money you need to survive financially.

What To Do After a Construction Accident

In the immediate aftermath of a construction accident, put any thought of legal recourse out of your mind. Instead, you should get yourself and anyone else affected to safety and contact emergency services. Depending on the injuries suffered, getting medical help ASAP could cause your injuries to be less severe over time and limit your medical expenses.

Only after reaching a hospital or getting medical treatment should you consider your legal options. Generally, you have two pathways to recovering compensation:

You can file a workers’ compensation claim. These claims are valid if your injuries were sustained on workplace premises or while doing your workplace duties.
You can file a lawsuit against a negligent party, like a fellow employee, your supervisor, or your contracting company, if they directly caused your injuries.

In both of these cases, New York construction accident attorneys like Schwartzapfel Lawyers can significantly increase your chances of seeing a big payout. We can use our extensive legal knowledge and experience handling similar cases to ensure that your workers’ comp claim is successful or that your lawsuit has a successful verdict with a significant compensation award.

How Can Lawyers Help?

Construction accident lawyers like Schwartzapfel Lawyers can help in multiple ways depending on whether you need to get workers’ comp or file a successful personal injury lawsuit.

Secure Workers’ Comp

Practically all construction companies or contractors are required to carry workers’ comp insurance, which is meant to cover the cost of injured workers’ medical bills. Unfortunately, many insurance companies are greedy and will try to get out of paying their share at all costs.

In these cases, construction accident attorneys can help by:

Ensuring your workers’ compensation claim is filed on time.
Making sure your paperwork is completely airtight and accurate, which, in turn, will minimize the effectiveness of any objections the insurance company may make against your claim.
Fighting for you at all costs if the insurance company doesn’t back down. We can negotiate on your behalf, prove that you deserve workers’ comp damages, and much more while you can focus on what’s most important: getting better.

Make no mistake: the people representing workers’ comp insurance companies are not your friends. That’s why you should contact legal professionals like Schwartzapfel Lawyers at (516) 342-2200 first if you are injured at a worksite or during a construction-related task.

File a Lawsuit on Your Behalf

Alternatively, your injuries may have been caused by someone’s direct negligence. For instance, maybe your boss did not provide you with a hardhat and you suffered a head injury due to falling debris.

In this case and similar cases, a personal injury or construction accident lawsuit may allow you to recover damages. When you hire a law firm like Schwartzapfel Lawyers, we will assist you by:

Ensuring your lawsuit is filed before the statute of limitations expires.
Helping you present your story as effectively as possible.
Presenting evidence on your behalf to the judge or jury.
Negotiating with insurance companies, the defendant(s), and any other parties on your behalf so thatyou won’t have to as you recover from your injuries.

Can You Sue Someone for a Construction Injury?

Yes, but only if their behavior meets the legal definition of negligence. To do this, you’ll need to gather plenty of evidence to prove that your supervisor, employer, or another worker:

Did not provide you with adequate safety gear
Did not warn you about potential hazards
Forced you to do something dangerous, such as by threatening to fire you from your position if you did not perform a specific task

Gathering this evidence can be tricky, which is why you should hire skilled lawyers like the team at Schwartzapfel Lawyers to do the legwork for you. It can be tough enough to recover from major injuries suffered at construction sites. Schwartzapfel Lawyers can gather police reports, doctors’ notes, and any other evidence that may help your construction accident lawsuit.

Finding the Right Legal Firm

While hiring a construction accident lawyer is important, finding the right legal firm will significantly increase your chances of seeing maximum compensation or a big workers’ comp payout. The right legal firm will:

Have a long history of successful verdicts and cases just like your own. Schwartzapfel Lawyers’ testimonials page proves this and more. For example, we’ve helped construction workers recover millions of dollars from negligent clients or superiors over the years.
Not charge you any money unless your case is successful. Schwartzapfel Lawyers also works with this payment system. If your lawsuit or workers’ comp claim doesn’t yield any money, you don’t need to worry about paying us back. That’s how confident we are in our ability to maximize your damages or compensation.
Fight for you no matter what. When you hire Schwartzapfel Lawyers, you get legal partners. We won’t abandon your case if an insurance company puts up a fight or if it looks tough. We’ll stick with you through thick and thin and help you as if your case is the most important we have – because it is!

Summary

Construction accident injuries often lead to exorbitant medical bills that can be impossible to pay through normal means. So instead of running full steam into the insurance company’s wall of tricks, save yourself the trouble and contact knowledgeable legal representation to get the compensation you need through workers’ compensation insurance or a successful negligence lawsuit.

Schwartzapfel Lawyers is the ideal choice for construction workers just like you. If you or a loved one has been injured in a NYC construction accident, we’re the best option to ensure you secure maximum damages to cover your medical bills and accident-related expenses. You can start with a free case evaluation today by calling us at (516) 342-2200 or contacting us online.

Sources:

Schwartzapfel Lawyers, P.C. | Fighting For You™™

DOB reports drop in NYC construction accidents | Real Estate Weekly

Workers’ Compensation Insurance | NYC Business

Negligence | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute