Construction Accidents

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In Strojek v. 33 E. 70th St. Corp. (App. Div. 1st Dept. May 14, 2015), a personal injury / construction accident case, the Appellate Division, First Department unanimously affirmed partial summary judgment on the issue of liabilty for plaintiff on his Labor Law § 240(1) cause of action. The court held: Plaintiff established his entitlement to judgment as a matter of…

Read More Court Affirms Summary Judgment for Plaintiff, Who Fell From Baker’s Scaffold, on Labor Law § 240 Claim
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In Ward v. Urban Horizons II Hous. Dev. Fund Corp. (NY App. Div. 1st Dept. May 7, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed summary judgment for plaintiff on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim. Here are the facts of this personal injury/construction accident case: Plaintiff commenced this lawsuit seeking to recover for personal injuries sustained on July…

Read More Coworker Was “Looking at Girls” Instead of Ladder-Fall Plaintiff; Summary Judgment for Plaintiff on Labor Law 240(1)/Ladder Fall Claim Affirmed
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Generally, the purpose New York’s “scaffold law” (New York Labor Law § 240(1)) is to protect construction workers from the pronounced risks arising from construction work site elevation differentials. A recent First Department case, Jordan v. City of New York (decided March 26, 2015), illustrates that what might seem like relatively small elevation differentials can nevertheless implicate…

Read More Force, Not Height, Is Key In a Labor Law 240(1) Construction Accident Case
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In Blanco v. NBC Trust No. 1996A, a construction accident personal injury case, the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff was entitled to partial summary judgment on the issue of liability under Labor Law 240(1) claim. In finding for plaintiff, the court held: Dismissal of the Labor Law § 240(1) claim was improper in this…

Read More Plaintiff Electrician Entitled to Summary Judgment in Ladder Fall Case
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In DeSimone v. City of New York, decided July 3, 2014, the First Department held: Plaintiff’s Labor Law § 241(6) claim was improperly dismissed on the ground that plaintiff was not covered under the statute. Plaintiff testified that he was an onsite project manager, employed by one of multiple general contractors on the subject construction…

Read More Project Manager Covered By Labor Law 241(6) in Construction Accident Case, Even Though He Did Not Perform “Labor-Intense” Work
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In Brownrigg v. New York City Hous. Auth. (decided July 2, 2014) – a construction/elevator-accident case – the Appellate Division, Second Department denied defendants’ CPLR 4404 motion, and upheld the jury’s verdict that defendants were liable under New York Labor Law §§ 200 and 241(6).  In this case, plaintiff and his coworker, both elevator mechanics, were repairing one…

Read More Court Upholds Jury Verdict for Plaintiff in Elevator Accident Case
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In Shields v. First Ave. Bldrs. LLC, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s’ Labor Law § 241(6) claim. In this construction accident case: Plaintiff James Shields was cleaning a concrete pump, with the engine running, when a swing tube in the pump swivelled, severing his fingers.…

Read More Plaintiff Whose Fingers Were Severed While “Servicing” a Concrete Pump Survives Summary Judgment on Labor Law § 241(6) Claim
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In Jerez v. Tishman Constr. Corp. of N.Y. (decided June 24, 2014), the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim: Plaintiff, a carpenter, made a prima facie showing of his entitlement to judgment as a matter of law on the issue of defendants’ liability under Labor Law…

Read More Falling Carpenter Entitled to Summary Judgment on Labor Law 240(1) Claim
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New York Labor Law § 240(1) is a very important statute, as it provides significant protections to workers who are exposed to gravity-related risks without being provided with adequate safety devices. However, in order for its considerable protections to kick in, it must be determined, in the first instance, whether it applies. Labor Law § 240(1) provides, in pertinent…

Read More Replacement of Windows Was “Repair”, Rather Than “Routine Maintenance”, Entitling Plaintiff Worker to Summary Judgment in Labor Law 240(1) Construction Accident Case
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In DeRose v. Bloomingdale’s Inc., the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff was entitled to partial summary judgment on liability on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim. While this case is but one data point in the ocean of Labor Law § 240(1) case law, it underscores the important point that a worker should not pay…

Read More Injured Carpenter Entitled to Summary Judgment on Liability, Where Supervisor Instructed Worker Not to Use Appropriate Scaffold
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