Pecoraro & Schiesel LLP

Construction labor makes up one of the three most dangerous occupations in the United States today, each year producing thousands of debilitating injuries and wrongful deaths. Factors that contribute to construction accidents include workers working on elevated platforms without fall protection or wearing defective safety harnesses and lanyards, lifting loads with worn and weathered cables, and/or working in trenches with improper trenching and using outdated tools and equipment. Farming and manufacturing accidents, as well as the oil and gas industry accidents, can also cause serious injury, including toxic exposure.

Under New York State Labor Law, the owner and general contractor is often held responsible when a worker falls from a scaffold, ladder, or other elevated work platform, even if the worker and/or his employer may be partially at fault. The right to pursue a claim against either of these parties is independant of the right to Workers Compensation benefits. If you are involved in such an accident, it is imperative that you contact a lawyer immediately in order to ascertain, and preserve, your rights.