If you have been injured in a scaffolding accident, the only recourse for you or a family member to get the compensation you deserve is to hire a top NYC scaffold injury lawyer to pursue a construction accident lawsuit. While it is also true that laws in New York state prohibit employees from suing their employers for on-the-job accidents, contractors, architects, manufacturers and property owners may be held liable for construction injuries or wrongful deaths that take place as a result of a scaffolding accident at the worksite.

At Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm, our scaffold injury lawyers have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for the injuries, future economic loss, and other damages suffered by people injured in scaffolding accidents and other kinds of workplace accidents in New York. We work closely with the family members of accident victims as we prepare compelling claims for compensation for the real people with real losses whom we represent.

Scaffolding Work is Inherently Dangerous

After the building slump following the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, many potential building projects were put on the back burner for several years. Now the city is undergoing a building boom once again. Numerous building remodeling projects as well as new building construction projects are visible around Manhattan and elsewhere.

Despite the precautions that contractors take when erecting and maintaining scaffolding in construction contexts, accidents continue to occur.

Late in the fall of 2012, a construction worker from Brooklyn, near the end of his first day on the job at a facade restoration site in Manhattan, fell 40 feet to his death. Reports said that he was alone on a scaffold and not wearing a harness when he fell onto a sidewalk shed adjacent to the loft building on the Mercer Street side of 450 Broome Street in SoHo. He suffered massive head trauma and a heart attack at the scene before dying at Bellevue Hospital.

This sad story about a scaffolding accident in Manhattan is indicative of the inherent hazards of working around scaffolding. While the laws currently protect workers, building owners and general contractors are fighting to change these laws.

Lobbying for the Rights and Safety of Construction Workers

Local labor laws protect workers by placing their safety squarely on the shoulders of building owners and general contractors. This means workers must be equipped with proper scaffolds, hoists, harnesses, and other safety gear when working at dangerous heights.

In spite of the known dangers, powerful lobbying efforts are underway to change these laws and shift responsibility for scaffolding safety to workers. This change in the law would result in more accidents and injuries and safeguard building owners and general contractors during injury litigation.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS), New York City’s immigrant population is the fastest-growing segment of the New York construction labor force. These workers – many of the day laborers and virtually all of them Latino – take on the most dangerous jobs at the least safe construction sites and get injured the most. If the laws change, Latinos — who currently hold 17.4 percent of construction jobs nationally — would be disproportionately affected.

Howard Raphaelson, who with business partner Andrew Levine has lobbied against changing the law, said workers who speak little or no English and who may be in the country illegally are in no position to complain to their employer, a labor union or the government about worksite safety lapses. “If the Scaffold Law is eviscerated,” he added, “one of the few remaining protections would be gone.”

Contact an Experienced New York City Scaffold Injury Lawyer

If you’ve been injured in a scaffolding accident as a result of neglect by an owner, developer, contractor, or on-site third-party vendor, our firm can help you secure compensation.

Call 212-268-3222 to schedule a free consultation with a skilled scaffold accident lawyer in New York City. There are no attorney fees until we have secured compensation for your injuries.