Albany Construction Accident Attorneys

Serving all of Upstate New York

A construction site is a workplace for a wide variety of trade professionals. From architects to electricians, tradespeople are required to work in a live, ever-changing work environment.

As with any other workplace, accidents can happen, but due to the nature of construction worksites full of hazards and heavy equipment, injuries can be serious, life-changing, or even deadly.

Why You Must Hire Your Own Attorney After a Construction Accident

There are multiple layers of legal responsibility in the event of an accident, including the construction site owner, the construction company, contractors, consultants, and their insurance companies. It is common for every party involved to deflect responsibility to another.

Unfortunately, as they maneuver to avoid legal responsibility, the victim could be lost in the shuffle and be the ultimate loser in the wake of a construction accident.

If you have been injured in a construction accident, or someone you love has suffered injury or death as a result of a construction accident, you will want to hire your own New York construction accident lawyer as quickly as possible after the incident.

Construction Accident Settlements and Jury Verdicts

When you or a loved one have been injured in a construction accident, New York State law allows you to seek compensation.

In the event of a forklift accident, crane accident, electrical, scaffolding, ladder, saw or machinery accident, the victim and/or their loved ones may be entitled to compensation.

Who do you trust to protect and serve the best interests of you and your family? Similar to the person working alongside of you on the job site, you need experienced legal counsel that looks out for you throughout the process.

The most reassuring part of hiring a New York construction accident attorney is there should be no out of pocket expenses unless you recover compensation for your injury.

Statute of Limitations for Construction Accidents in NY

Hiring an attorney to initiate legal action on your behalf is in your best interest due to the statute of limitations. Also, because a construction work environment changes every day, it is important to hire an experienced New York construction accident lawyer to facilitate prompt collection of evidence and witness testimony that would be important to support your case.

Considering a construction lawsuit?  Contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation meeting with one of our attorneys to discuss your case. We will listen, allow you plenty of time to ask questions, and provide you with options on how to proceed. We are here to help.

Finding a Construction Accident Lawyer in Upstate New York

Our injury attorneys are aggressive and diligent in building a case that will go after responsible parties for the acts or omissions that resulted in your injury, or injury or death of a loved one.

Compassionate – Aggressive Legal Representation

You want more than a lawyer. You want peace of mind. You want a compassionate legal partner who is an expert and completely dedicated on your behalf. Your loved one may be seriously injured or no longer with you, but they would want you and your family to be taken care of financially.

Our New York construction accident attorneys are recognized for professional excellence, but it is their compassion, sensitivity, and ability to fight for the best possible outcome that endears them to their clients.

Our legal team has extensive experience dealing with serious construction accident cases and always puts the victim and their family first. Our attorneys are compassionate and work extremely hard to ensure a successful outcome for your family.

There are no out of pocket expenses. We do not collect a legal fee unless we are able to successfully resolve the case on your behalf.

• Read our Client Testimonials and meet the lawyers of Hacker Murphy, LLP.

Hurt in a Construction Accident? Hacker Murphy, LLP is here to help. Call us at (518) 284-3183 or complete our form to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced lawyers. Remember, there is no legal fee unless your case is successful.

Falling Object Construction Injuries

New York Law makes the general contractor or site owner strictly liable for the safety of all workers on the site. While generally applied to workers who fall from heights, the law also covers co-workers on the ground or working directly below a scaffolding, ladder or roof. 

Our attorneys will pursue damages for any injury from above:

• Dropped tools and equipment
• Falling construction debris
• Tipped ladders
• Scaffolding collapse
• Roof or ceiling collapse
• One worker falling onto another
• Crane accidents (snapped cable, etc.)

We are skilled at maximizing compensation for severe injuries common in falling object and roof collapse accidents: concussion and traumatic brain injury, chest injuries, spinal cord injury, serious fractures, and lacerations.

We have the professional resources to identify lapses in safety, such as failure to tie down or secure materials, lack of guardrails, failure to provide hard hats or failing to establish a safe zone beneath activity at heights. While it is not necessary to prove specific negligence in construction lawsuits, the investigation can counter claims that the injured worker was at fault or reveal negligence of third parties such as another subcontractor.

It is important to note that we can also represent “civilians” injured by falling or flying debris from construction sites.

Ladder Injuries

Under New York’s labor law Section 240, the general contractor or landowner has a non-delegable duty to provide construction workers with adequate ladders and to ensure that they are secured and used safely. Yet every year, hundreds of workers are injured by collapsing, slippery and improperly secured ladders.

If you or a loved one was badly hurt on a construction project or other job site, the experienced personal injury attorneys of Hacker Murphy act swiftly and aggressively to obtain your rightful damages. Contact us immediately to preserve and assert your rights.

Section 240 of the Labor Law recognizes that construction work is hazardous and that working on ladders is especially perilous. It holds the property owner or contractor strictly liable for ladder accidents. Those employers, owners and their insurers will often try to deny liability or downplay compensation.

Our Albany, NY-based law firm has brought successful Section 240 ladder accident lawsuits on behalf of injured workers in the Greater Capital District, the Hudson Valley and throughout Central and Upstate New York. 

We can also professionally investigate to establish the safety lapse, equipment defect or other negligence leading to ladder collapse or falls:

• Ladders that are not ANSI or OSHA compliant
• Ladders not rated to bear the weight of the worker
• Broken rungs or ratchet locks
• Lack of hooks, lanyards or other securement
• Failure to provide safety harnesses or protective gear
• Slip-out, kick-out or tipping from steep angle or uneven footing
• Failure to steady the ladder from below when warranted
• Ladders slippery from rain, mud or worn treads
• Workers hit by falling equipment

Virtually any ladder accident on a construction site is covered under Section 240, unless the worker is solely responsible through reckless disregard for his own safety (a standard rarely met). We also regularly assist clients with their workers’ compensation claims and third-party lawsuits against ladder manufacturers or negligent subcontractors.

Handling these claims on your own could result in irreversible errors or a disrespectful, lowball settlement. We know how to maximize recovery for medical care, lost wages, and future needs, as well as damages for pain and suffering or permanent disability.

How to File a Scaffold Injury Lawsuit in NY

If you or a family member suffered a scaffolding-related injury at a job site, contact us immediately for aggressive representation. We negotiate settlements to fully cover your losses and explore all related lawsuits and claims against the responsible entities.

Hacker Murphy has regularly served injured construction workers in Albany and the Greater Capital District for decades, and we have handled scaffolding accident cases from across Upstate New York to the Hudson Valley. We represent construction workers and remodeling experts, steelworkers, window washers, sandblasting crews and any tradesperson who works on scaffolding.

Our experienced personal injury lawyers can handle any scenario:

• Scaffolding collapse
• Falls from scaffolding
• Falls from makeshift platforms
• Falling debris from scaffolds
• Injuries suffered for lack of proper scaffolding

Under Section 240, the general contractor and/or the owner of the project are responsible for the safety of workers and are automatically accountable for damages — medical costs, lost wages, permanent disability, pain, and suffering. (The only defense is that the worker was solely at fault through recklessness, a standard seldom met.)

We know what constitutes strict liability under Section 240 and what constitutes negligence in separate lawsuits against a scaffolding manufacturer, rental company that provided the faulty scaffolding, or a subcontractor on the same site that contributed to the accident. We can conduct a thorough investigation to determine what went wrong, such as improper assembly, missing railings, rusted joints, worn lanyards, exceeding weight capacity or failure to provide safety harnesses.

When you hire Hacker Murphy, there are no attorney fees unless we recover damages.

Roof Fall Injuries

Section 240 of the NYS Labor Law holds general contractors and building owners strictly liable for unsafe working conditions or faulty equipment for any height-related accident.

Hacker Murphy regularly represents construction workers, roofers, HVAC workers and others tradespeople who were shingling, erecting roof trusses, installing gutters, or inspecting or repairing roofs.

We were able to professionally identify safety lapses in a wide range of scenarios:

• Lack of roofing brackets or hooks
• Failure to provide safety harnesses or guardrails
• Inadequate ladders or scaffolding
• Slips on loose shingles
• Rainy or high wind conditions
• A crane that knocked a worker off the roof
• Roof collapse (including injuries to workers below)
• Objects falling from roofs

In addition to fatalities, falls from roofs commonly cause back injury or paralysis, head trauma, and broken legs, arms or ribs. When these accidents result in a surgical repair, long-term disability or permanent injury, our experienced trial lawyers stand up to the insurance companies to ensure our clients are compensated fairly, especially if they can no longer work construction. While prior results do not guarantee future outcomes, our past construction-related injury settlements can provide reassurance to you and your family that we take these situations seriously and will fight for your best interests.

Injured On A Construction Site? Contact Hacker Murphy, LLP!

Contact us – one of Upstate New York’s most respected law firms, serving you with convenient offices:

• Albany Law Office
• Schenectady Law Office
• Troy Law Office
• Saratoga Springs Law Office

If you or a loved one were seriously injured, reach out to skilled construction accident attorneys in Albany at Hacker Murphy, LLP. Complete our online form or call (518) 284-3183.