$3.25 Million Construction Trip and Fall Settlement in NY

Raphaelson & Levine secured $3.25 million for a construction worker who tripped over a concealed hazard in an unlit gantry at a New York job site, suffering injuries to the neck, back, shoulder, and wrist.

A Hidden Tripping Hazard in the Dark

The gantry exit at a New York construction site should have been a routine walkway. Instead, holes in the floor had been covered with plywood and two-by-fours that sat raised nearly two inches above the walking surface — creating a tripping hazard invisible to anyone passing through. To make conditions worse, the area had no lighting whatsoever.

Our client, exiting the gantry after a shift, caught their foot on the raised covering and fell hard. The impact caused injuries to the cervical spine, lumbar spine, left shoulder, and left wrist. Multiple surgeries followed, along with a rehabilitation process that kept the worker off the job and struggling financially.

Proving the Site Was an Accident Waiting to Happen

The defense argued the raised plywood was an obvious condition that workers should have noticed. Our construction accident lawyers dismantled that argument by establishing two critical facts: the covering was only 1.7 inches high — subtle enough to miss at floor level — and the absence of any lighting in the area made it functionally invisible.

Site inspection records showed no documented plan for maintaining safe walkways or lighting in the gantry. OSHA standards require illumination at construction egress points, and our safety experts confirmed that this site fell far below the minimum threshold. The property owner had created a trap and done nothing to warn workers about it.

Full Compensation for a New York Construction Worker

The $3.25 million settlement addresses our client's surgical expenses for the neck, back, shoulder, and wrist injuries, as well as lost wages, future medical needs, and pain and suffering.

"A 1.7-inch raised surface in a pitch-dark walkway is not something any reasonable worker could have avoided. The site owners knew those holes were covered with makeshift materials and never bothered to light the area or warn anyone. That is negligence, plain and simple."

— Howard Raphaelson, Founding Partner at Raphaelson & Levine

If you have been injured due to unsafe conditions at a New York construction site, our construction accident attorneys have decades of experience identifying safety violations and holding property owners accountable. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.