Queens Construction Accident
Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP attorneys Stephen Wagner and Andrew Wanger achieved a $2,000,000 settlement plus waiver of a $500,000 Workers’ Compensation lien after a full liability trial in Queens County Supreme Court. WRSMH attorney Noah Katz handled the file for our office. The matter settled after the jury deliberated for nearly an entire day following closing arguments.
Our client, a Spanish-speaking laborer, was injured when he was ordered to demolish a temporary structure without a proper scaffold. As a result, the structure collapsed, causing him to fall about 10 feet onto his head. The plaintiff lost consciousness, had a prolonged alteration of consciousness while admitted to the hospital for several days, and underwent neck surgery with metal hardware.
In this labor law case, the defendants contended that the plaintiff was the sole proximate cause of the fall because he disobeyed instructions to do his job from a ladder instead of getting on top of the structure. The plaintiff’s employer and foreman both testified against him.