New York City Construction Accident Results | Accident Settlements

Notable Construction Accident Results Achieved by Arye, Lustig & Sassower, P.C.

The personal injury attorneys of Arye, Lustig & Sassower, P.C., have been representing injured construction workers for more than 40 years. We have achieved many settlements and verdicts of $1 million or more for our seriously injured clients. We are committed to helping accident victims receive maximum compensation for their injuries. Contact us for a free consultation about your personal injury claim.

Here are some of the construction accident results we've achieved for our clients and their families since 2000. Click on the links below to move down the page.

#ladder Ladder and Scaffolding Accidents

$10.5 million settlement (including interest) following an $8.9 million verdict (reduced to $7.6 million on appeal) for a 31 year-old electrician who was kneeling on the wooden platform of a Baker's scaffold that collapsed. He fell 8 feet to a concrete floor below, resulting in a fracture of his kneecap (patella) and tear of the lateral meniscus. Our client required three surgeries.
$550,000 settlement for a 41 year-old electrician who suffered a fractured ankle that required surgery who fell from a ladder when he passed out due to excessive heat.
$550,000 settlement for a 46-year old electrician who was working on a ladder when the top step collapsed. He was able to grab another step to prevent himself from falling, but in doing so, he suffered bilateral rotator cuff tears which required surgery on both shoulders.
$1.5 million settlement for a 34 year-old electrician who was working on a ladder and was in the process of pulling wire and installing conduit when the ladder began to slide and he began to fall. To avoid falling, he grabbed onto the conduit and twisted his neck, resulting in herniated discs at C6-7 and C5-6 that required anterior cervical decompression and fusion surgery.
$2.5 million settlement for a 28 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered a compound fracture of the L1 vertebra requiring surgery to replace vertebra with a rib, and crushed wrist requiring surgery with open reduction and internal fixation.
$825,000 settlement for a 44 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered a comminuted fracture of the right wrist that required surgery with open reduction and internal fixation with insertion of plate and screws. He then had a second operation to remove two screws and file the remaining plate.
$590,000 settlement for a 34 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered low back injuries with herniated disc at L5-S1.
$2.65 million settlement for a 50-year old electrician who fell from a ladder after receiving an electric shock. He suffered a comminuted fracture of the left heel requiring surgery with open reduction and internal fixation and eventually requiring ankle fusion. He also suffered a knee injury (torn meniscus) requiring arthroscopic surgery.
$2.1 million settlement for a 33 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder while attempting to fit heavy cable into a crown box when the cable sprung back and struck him, causing him to suffer left shoulder injuries with impingement requiring two operations.
$2 million settlement for a 48 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered a fractured elbow requiring surgery, torn rotator cuff requiring surgery, and knee injury requiring arthroscopic surgery.
$950,000 settlement for an electrician who was pulling wire on a ladder, which required the use of pulling compound (lubricant). He slipped on steps that were covered with lubricant, causing hyperextension of the knee and requiring two operations for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
$600,000 settlement for a 31 year-old electrician who slipped while climbing down a ladder and held on to the ladder to avoid falling but strained his shoulder and suffered a torn rotator cuff requiring two surgeries.
$600,000 settlement for a 43 year-old HVAC construction worker who fell from scaffolding and suffered a fractured wrist requiring open reduction and internal fixation, as well as injuries to his back and knee.
$1.7 million settlement for a 45 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered a herniated disc of the lumbar spine at L4-5 requiring surgery, a torn meniscus of the left knee requiring arthroscopic surgery, and consequential injury to his right knee (due to the additional stress placed on the "good" knee) which required arthroscopic surgery.
$7.5 million settlement for a 42 year-old steamfitter who fell from a ladder when extreme heat conditions caused him to become woozy. He suffered a fracture of the left humerus, two broken ribs, non-displaced fractures of the pelvis, and head trauma resulting in post-traumatic epilepsy and psychiatric problems from organic brain syndrome and diffuse axonal injury. After original jury verdict included $5 million award for injured worker's wife for loss of services.
$625,000 settlement for a 50 year-old electrician who fell off a ladder and suffered a fracture of the right wrist with soft tissue injuries to his right elbow, right shoulder, neck, back, and right knee.
$450,000 settlement for a 53 year-old electrician working on an 8 foot ladder. The ladder tipped and he suffered a soft tissue wrist injury while trying to prevent himself from falling, requiring surgery.
$3.7 million settlement (after a $4.9 million jury verdict) for a 33 year-old electrician who fell from a 6 foot ladder and suffered severe impingement syndrome of his right (dominant) shoulder, biceps tendinitis with recurrent right shoulder dislocation, and torn rotator cuff that required arthroscopic surgery.
$2.5 million settlement for a 40 year-old construction worker who fell from a ladder and suffered a bimalleolar fracture of the right ankle requiring open reduction and internal fixation.
$1.3 million settlement for a 51 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered multiple herniations of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine (all without surgery), along with laceration of the palm of his hand.
$750,000 settlement for an electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered three broken ribs, along with sprains of the neck, lower back and shoulder (no surgery).
$650,000 settlement for a 32 year-old construction worker who fell from a scaffold and suffered neck and back injuries with herniated/bulging discs and radiculopathy (no surgery), as well as partial tear of the right quadriceps (no surgery).

#slip Slip and Fall / Trip and Fall

$3.1 million settlement for a 40 year-old electrician injured when he attempted to break the fall of a coworker who fell from a ladder. Our client sustained neck and shoulder injuries, with herniated discs at C4-5 and C5-6 that required cervical decompression and fusion, as well as surgery for a partial rotator cuff tear.
$900,000 settlement for a 42 year-old electrician who suffered a torn rotator cuff that required surgery after he slipped and fell down stairs that had dust on them from tapers who had sanded the walls. The handrail had been removed during renovation.
$4.9 million settlement during trial for a 37 year-old electrician who tripped and fell due to a defective stairway. He suffered a low back injury with a herniated disc at L5-S1. Despite arthroscopic surgery for the herniated disc, our client's condition progressively worsened, severely limiting his ability to walk and stand for any length of time.
$2.5 million settlement for a 38 year-old female electrician (with a history of prior neck injury) who tripped on uneven floor covering, and suffered further neck injury with herniated discs requiring cervical fusion.
$500,000 settlement for a 49 year-old electrician who tripped on an uneven floor where a door saddle had been removed, resulting in injury to his right knee (aggravating his degenerative arthritis), with torn medial and lateral menisci requiring arthroscopic surgery.
$500,000 settlement for a 36 year-old electrician who slipped on oil that leaked from a machine and suffered a ventral hernia requiring surgery.
$450,000 settlement for a 50 year-old boilermaker who tripped on ground cable and suffered a fractured kneecap (patella) requiring surgery.
$1.6 million settlement for a 38-year old electrician who slipped and fell on debris on stairway with resulting cervical herniated disc and aggravation of pre-existing arthritic changes.
$1.5 million settlement for an electrician who slipped on debris on a stairway and injured his lower back, with herniated disc and lumbosacral radiculopathy requiring spinal epidural injections.
$420,000 settlement for a 40 year-old electrician who slipped and fell on stairway debris and suffered a low back injury with herniated disc at L5-S1 (no surgery).
$1.3 million settlement for a 29 year-old electrician who fell while climbing off ladder a when he stepped on debris on the floor. He suffered a fractured ankle requiring two surgeries followed by ankle fusion.
$700,000 settlement for a 57 year-old electrician who tripped over a door buck (outside frame of door) that was lying on the floor. He suffered a right knee injury that required two arthroscopic surgeries followed by total knee replacement (which defendants claimed was all due to pre-existing arthritis).
$600,000 settlement for a 39 year-old electrician who tripped on an extension cord left on the stairs and suffered quadriceps tear, knee injury with tear of medial meniscus, and low back injury with exacerbation of previous degenerative disc changes.
$525,000 settlement after a successful trial verdict for a 56 year-old electrician who tripped and fell on a raised computer floor panel resulting in low back sprain and disc bulge at L5-S1 (no surgery).
$2 million settlement for a 37 year-old electrician who tripped/slipped on a partially coiled cable that was strewn on the floor. He grabbed a nearby safety railing to prevent himself from falling, but wrenched his shoulder, resulting in a torn rotator cuff and impingement, which required three operations.
$750,000 settlement for a 49 year-old electrician who tripped and fell on debris on a stairs and suffered a knee injury with torn medial and lateral menisci.
$1.4 million settlement for a 46 year-old electrician with a prior history of back and knee injuries who tripped while descending a stairway and suffered derangement of lumbosacral spine, knee derangement, and injury to both wrists requiring surgery.
$950,000 settlement for a 54 year-old electrician who slipped in a hallway of a school under renovation and suffered lumbosacral radiculopathy requiring epidural injections, and a torn rotator cuff requiring surgery. Paint remover had been applied to the floor without any warnings or barriers being erected for safety.
$400,000 settlement for a 55 year-old electrician who slipped and fell on stairs due to residue left by a painting contractor. He suffered injuries to his right knee (requiring arthroscopic surgery) and low back (requiring epidural injections).
$750,000 settlement for a 36 year-old electrician who tripped and fell on a job site and injured his hip, with resulting avascular necrosis.
$800,000 settlement for a 33 year-old ceramic tile laborer who tripped on debris and fell into a foundation ditch, his knee striking a pipe. He suffered torn medial meniscus and torn anterior cruciate ligament and eventually required knee replacement.
$800,000 settlement during trial for a 40 year-old electrician who fell from a ladder and suffered fractures of his right clavicle and right wrist and low back injury (all without surgery).
$750,000 settlement for a 40 year-old electrician who fell from the catwalk in an AMTRAK tunnel onto the tracks below with resulting back injury (no surgery), and risk of future spinal fusion.
$450,000 settlement for a 52 year-old electrician who tripped and fell over a trench dug out in floor in front of an elevator, in which a saddle was to be placed. He suffered a knee injury that required surgery.

#falling Falling Objects

$1.25 million settlement for a 40 year-old sheet metal worker who suffered herniated cervical discs and cervical radiculopathy, with rotator cuff injury and impingement (no surgery). Our client was installing duct work for an air conditioning unit. The unit was improperly suspended and one side dropped and struck our client in the neck and shoulder.
$450,000 settlement for a 63 year-old electrician who suffered injuries to the right shoulder and both wrists when he was struck by falling debris due to lack of appropriate safeguards. He required shoulder surgery for torn rotator cuff and had surgery on both wrists for carpal tunnel syndrome.

#falls Falls Due to Defective Roofs or Floors

$550,000 settlement for a 35 year-old electrician who fell through an inadequately protected floor opening up to his thigh, which tore the medial meniscus of the right knee. He required arthroscopic surgery. While he was convalescing at home, his knee gave out while he was walking down the stairs, with resulting injury to his shoulder that required surgery.
$1.75 million settlement for a 26 year-old construction worker who fell through a roof opening and fractured his wrist, requiring surgery with open reduction and internal fixation, external fixation device, and eventual fusion.
$900,000 settlement for a 31 year-old electrician who fell through ceiling and suffered fracture of the left humerus with open reduction and internal fixation, right knee sprain with arthroscopic surgery, and low back sprain (no surgery).
$1.25 million settlement for a 46 year-old electrician who fell through an unguarded floor opening and suffered a head injury with subdural hematoma.
$1.2 million settlement for a 50 year-old electrician with pre-existing, degenerative arthritis in both knees, who tripped and fell because of a floor opening, and suffered knee injuries requiring knee replacement.
$425,000 settlement for a 39 year-old electrician who fell through the ceiling on a work site resulting in shoulder injuries that requiring arthroscopic surgery and wrist injuries with carpal tunnel syndrome.

#shaft Elevator Shaft Accidents

$600,000 settlement for a 46 year-old electrician who fell through an inadequately guarded opening in the basement to the bottom of a shaft. Our client suffered multiple soft tissue injuries to his neck, low back and shoulder (no surgery).
$4 million settlement for catastrophic injuries to the family of a 48 year-old electrician who fell 40 feet through the sheetrock that covered the top of an elevator shaft way and landed on top of the elevator car. He suffered severe internal injuries, including massive abdominal hemorrhage and a ruptured pancreas, burst fracture of T-10 vertebra, and crush injuries of the right ankle and right hand. He died 12 days after the accident.

#electric Electrical Injuries

$1.5 million settlement for a 49 year-old electrician who received an electric shock while on a ladder, causing him to fall. He suffered an electrical burn, a right shoulder fracture/dislocation requiring surgery, and left rotator cuff tendinitis requiring surgery.
$450,000 settlement for a 32 year-old electrician who received an electric shock and suffered a torn rotator cuff.

#excavation Excavation Accidents

$750,000 settlement for a 40 year-old laborer who suffered a knee injury (fracture of the tibial plateau and lateral condyle with tears of medial meniscus, lateral meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament) that required knee reconstruction surgery. He was working on a sewer line installation project when an excavation collapsed on him.
$705,000 settlement for a 34 year-old laborer who was installing drainage pipe in an excavation trench when it collapsed on him, causing broken ribs, a back injury requiring epidural nerve block, and knee injury requiring Synvisc steroid injections.

#unsafe Unsafe Tools and Equipment

$450,000 settlement for a 59 year-old worker who was painting New York City traffic lights and became concerned that the elevated basket of the bucket-truck in which he was working might be unstable. He attempted to climb from the basket onto the freshly painted traffic light. He fell and suffered a left arm fracture (requiring surgery with open reduction and internal fixation), left hip fracture and pelvis fracture.

#crane Crane or Forklift Accidents and Injuries

$600,000 settlement for a 54 year-old labor foreman working on a construction project to refurbish an old bridge. He suffered crush injury of the foot with multiple fractures requiring surgery when the operator of a backhoe moving a heavy Jersey barrier failed to hoist it in conformity with the Industrial Code. Although the lower court had dismissed this case, we were successful in having that decision reversed on appeal and got the lawsuit reinstated.
[ ]$2.5 million settlement for a 37 year-old carpenter foreman who was injured while supervising delivery of heavy material at a construction site. His employer was using a backhoe to unload materials when the materials shifted and started to fall. He jumped off the truck to avoid being struck by the falling load and injured his knee. He suffered torn medial meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament tear requiring two arthroscopic knee reconstruction procedures and developed chronic low back injury due to his impaired gait. We successfully argued that the defendants had violated the Industrial Code regulations regarding the use of material hoists.

#other Other Serious Construction-Related Accidents

$1.6 million settlement for a 43 year-old elevator mechanic foreman who suffered a left knee injury while attempting to bring old elevator parts down a ramp on a dolly. The ramp was slippery due to sand and debris. He slipped and blew out his knee while attempting to hold on to the heavy load. His injury required several knee operations.
$2.375 million settlement for a 44 year-old laborer who was struck by a man lift operated by another trade, He suffered neck injury requiring cervical fusion, and low back sprain and shoulder tendinitis.
$1.5 million settlement for a 43 year-old electrician who fell from the ledge in a PATH tunnel, causing aggravation to prior neck and low back injuries, and herniated lumbar discs at L3-4 and L4-5.

Contact a New York Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a family member has suffered a serious personal injury in a construction accident, our results speak for themselves. Call the Manhattan law offices of Arye, Lustig & Sassower at 800.340.4992.