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Powers & Santola was so knowledgeable and caring. I was so very fortunate to find such a great law firm.

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New York construction accidents occur all too regularly. Hard working construction workers can find their work and personal lives disrupted for long stretches of time due to the carelessness of others. If you have suffered a work-related injury caused by the negligence of someone else on the job site or connected to the job site, New York law allows you to seek monetary compensation for your injuries and lost wages.

Workers injured on the job are usually entitled to workers’ compensation. In some cases, construction workers may also be able to seek third-party liability damages against another company or another company’s employee who caused the injury. Our workplace accident lawyers can help you with both types of claims.

At Powers & Santola, LLP., our Syracuse, Rochester, and Albany construction accident lawyers can help you recover monetary damages for your injuries as you work your way toward recovering the life you had prior to your injury. Attorney Dan Santola, a Powers & Santola founding member, has extensive experience fighting for workers with catastrophic workplace injuries.

The Types of Work-accident Cases
Our Injury Law Firm Handles Handle

Over the years, we have seen all kinds of work-related accidents at construction sites and other workplaces that cause serious injury or death. We have devoted an entire section of our website to construction accident claims. Here’s what you’ll find.

General Considerations

Construction Site and General Considerations

Construction Accidents – Do I Have A Case?: Take our simple test to find out whether your construction accident could be a legal claim for damages.
Time Limits for Filing Construction Accident Claims: There are many exceptions to time limits. An experienced construction accident lawyer can identify whether any of those exceptions apply to your case. Even if it appears that the filing period has expired, you may still be eligible to bring a claim. It is important to have your case reviewed.
Who Is Responsible?: This page explains how liability works in New York for a construction accident.
Construction Worker Injury: New York’s Commitment to Protect Construction Workers: Did you know New York laws have looked out for construction workers since 1885? Learn more here.

Common Accidents

Common Types of Construction Site Accidents

Building Collapse: If you are injured by a building collapse during construction or demolition.
Cleaning Crew Injuries: New York’s Safe Place to Work laws apply to cleaning crews.
Construction Vehicle Accidents: You have rights in the event of a construction vehicle accident.
Crane Collapses: Four types of cranes are involved in most crane-related fatalities: mobile or truck cranes, overhead or gantry cranes, tower cranes and floating or barge cranes. The types of accidents that caused fatal crane accidents were: Electrocution when the crane boom, cable or load/load line contacted an overhead power line (25 percent). Workers being struck by loads falling from the crane (20 percent) or being hit by the crane boom or other crane parts (20 percent). Crane collapses (14 percent). Workers falling from a crane or a platform being hoisted by a crane (9 percent). Workers being caught between crane parts (5 percent).
Equipment Operator Injuries: Regardless of the type of equipment you are using on a construction site, whether a dump truck, backhoe, bucket truck or any other type of motorized equipment, New York has specific regulations as to how these activities are to be performed. For example, if a truck driver is backing up a truck on a construction site, there must be a spotter to assist the driver. If a spotter is not used and an injury occurs to a worker on the site, the worker can recover under the New York Safe Place to Work Laws.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Construction Site Slip and Fall Accidents

Falling Objects: The same laws that require project owners and their contractors to provide protection to workers to prevent falls from heights also require adequate safety measures to be taken to prevent injuries caused by falling objects when materials are being hoisted or lowered or need to be secured in place. Typically these accidents occur when: a crane collapses, a load breaks from a lift, a cable breaks, building material stored on upper floors or roof areas are not properly secured, overloaded cranes, hoist or lifts, or improper rigging.
Falls From Heights: Project or property owners are responsible for providing safety equipment and procedures to protect workers from falling. Project owners and general contractors know the dangers workers face. In a construction accident fall, a worker can suffer a life-changing brain injury. A fall from a scaffold can cause a broken neck, a spinal injury or death. The consequences are enormous — and the law says the owner is liable.
Falls From Ladders: Any time an unsafe ladder is used on a job and a worker is subsequently injured, the property owner is responsible. If the ladder is not secured, there will be no excuses under New York scaffolding laws. The property owner and the contractors hired cannot hide behind the excuse that they had nothing to do with supplying the ladder or how it was used. Under New York’s scaffolding laws, they are absolutely liable for the worker and his family, and they are not allowed to push that responsibility off onto another contractor or the worker.
Falls From Other Elevated Places: A worker on a utility pole needs the proper equipment to ensure safety. Whether standing on a building, a water tower, the roof of a building, or the top of a pile of construction material or debris, a worker needs the protection of safety equipment and proper safety training and procedures. Nets, safety harnesses, suspended scaffolds, railings, stable catwalks, reinforced ceilings — whatever the situation calls for — should be in place before the first worker starts work.
Falls From Roofs: Heights, uneven work surfaces and the pitches of roofs, make roofing jobs dangerous. Contractors need to supply planks, railings, elevated work platforms, safety harnesses, lanyards, man-lifts and safe means of hoisting necessary materials and equipment. No worker should be asked to work under hazardous conditions without the proper safety equipment, but property owners in a hurry and contractors cutting costs can place workers in danger. When they are held responsible for the damages, the work site will become safer — and the worker suffering from a catastrophic work injury will be compensated.
Falls From Scaffolding: Accidents involving scaffolding happen for many different reasons. Whether due to lack of safety rails, the absence of a safety harness, unstable footings, lack of a material hoist or one of many other reasons, a momentary misstep can result in a catastrophic accident. Was the scaffolding overloaded or not high enough to reach the work area, making it necessary for the worker to improvise? Whatever the reason, the property owners and their contractors are liable.

Construction Laws

New York Construction Laws

New York Construction Law: Learn about New York’s strict safety workplace laws and zero tolerance for violators.
New York State Labor Law § 240: This is New York’s laws regarding scaffolding, ladders and other equipment.
7 Foundational Rules To Better Understand Section 240 Claims: This page explains how New York law holds owners, contractors and their agents responsible for workplace safety and accidents.
New York State Labor Law § 241: New York’s labor laws regarding construction, excavation and demolition.
Repairmen Injuries: Labor Law section 240 and Labor Law section 241 apply to: Repairmen working on buildings or construction sites: From repairing air conditioners to replacing water pipes, any other type of repair work on a building or ongoing construction site is covered. Repairmen working on any other type of structure: Even though fully finished sites no longer have construction workers to complete construction projects, repair work on any type of structure, such as utility lines, boats, water towers, bridges, conveyor systems or other kinds of man-made objects, are covered by these laws.
Serious Injuries in Other Work Places: New York’s Safe Place to Work laws apply to more than just construction work. Learn more on this page.
Road & Bridge Construction: With more than 25 years of experience handling construction accident cases, Daniel Santola has recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements in roadway construction accidents involving: Flag persons being struck by vehicles, Construction workers and painting crew members falling from bridges, Bridge scaffolding collapses causing workers to fall, Road crew and safety inspection workers struck by asphalt trucks or other dump trucks on the job site.
Trench Cave-Ins & Crush Injuries: New York’s Industrial Code 23, developed to prevent potentially fatal cave-in situations and falls into excavations or trenches.
Utility Worker Injury: New York’s unique labor laws protect utility workers in the same way they protect roofers and other construction workers. Including electrical high-tension linemen, cable TV installers, natural gas workers and repairmen, and water and sewer workers.
Workers Falling: New York Labor Law states project owners and contractors are 100 percent responsible for accidents caused by failed, missing or inadequate safety equipment. The scaffolding law applies to every situation in which a worker is working on a building or structure and elevation is involved. This law covers construction work, but it also applies to remodeling, painting, cleaning and demolition work. A roofer falling to the ground during a construction project would be covered; so would a building maintenance worker falling from a roof while cleaning snow from it.

We Can Help You With Workers’ Compensation

Our Construction Accident Lawyers Can Help You With Workers’ Compensation

Injured Workers & Workers’ Comp: Learn more about financial recovery for New York employees hurt in a workplace accident.
Workplace Injuries: Learn more about worker’s compensation benefits following a workplace.
Workplace Injuries & Third Party Lawsuits: In addition to worker’s compensation, a third-party claim can be sought for lost wages, disability, pain and suffering, and more.
When Workers’ Compensation Is Not Enough: Learn about New York’s no-excuses approach when it comes to worker safety, which keeps project owners from passing the blame.
There May Be More Than Workers’ Comp: Did you know that workers have the right to sue for additional damages when safety standards have been violated.

Construction Attorneys & Referrals

New York Construction Attorneys & Referrals

Attorney Dan Santola has extensive experience fighting for workers with catastrophic workplace injuries and working with OSHA claims.
Attorney Referrals: Powers & Santola welcomes referrals from attorneys representing an injured worker from New York or an out-of-state employee hurt while working on a New York project.
Litigating Construction Accident Cases in New York: Purchase Dan Santola’s book which teaches readers how to understand and act upon New York’s Labor Laws.

Undocumented Construction Workers

In State, Out-Of-State and Undocumented Construction Workers

Were You Injured in New York?: Out-of-town workers injured in a New York worksite are protected under New York’s Safe Place to Work laws.
Binghamton Construction Accidents: Injured in a construction accident in Binghamton? Learn how the experienced attorneys at Powers & Santola can help you.
Buffalo Construction Accidents: If you’ve been injured in a construction accident in Buffalo, contact Powers & Santola who will provide you with a clear understanding of your rights and options. Learn more on this page.
Out-of-State Workers Injured in New York: Laws protecting injured workers are different in New York than in other states. Learn more on this page.
Undocumented Workers: Learn about New York’s “safe place to work” laws which cover all workers, regardless of immigration status.

Call Our Albany Construction Accident
Attorneys For a Free Initial Consultation

If you were injured on a construction site, contact Powers & Santola, LLP., today to schedule a free initial consultation with our experienced Syracuse, Rochester, or Albany construction accident lawyers. Contact us online or call us toll-free at 518-720-6188. We are here to listen and to help.

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When someone injures you, your life gets turned upside down. Suddenly, you may face a ton of medical bills. You may be unable to work or help out around the home. Others may need to care for you around the clock. Nothing is the same.

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See Construction Accident Blogs

How Weather Conditions Contribute to Construction Accidents in New York

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According to the National Safety Council, construction is the most dangerous industry to work in because it has the highest number of worker fatalities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction accidents cause 1,000 deaths and 200,000 injuries yearly. Weather-related problems make this already dangerous occupation even more so. Construction workers face additional risks …

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Construction Site Fall Accidents in New York: Causes and Prevention Tips

Posted:

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries in which to work. However, this does not excuse an employer’s responsibility to provide a safe working environment. The potential dangers underscore the importance of providing workers with the proper equipment, training, and protection. Falls are a prevalent type of construction accident, so employers as …

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Fires at Construction Sites

Posted: February 15, 2024

Fires are common during construction, demolition, or renovation. Unfortunately, workers can become trapped by fire, suffering smoke inhalation and burns, among other serious injuries. A fire is a serious accident, and workers and their families should know their legal rights. Call Powers & Santola, LLP. You should receive compensation if you are injured while working …

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