Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
Heights, heavy machinery, exposed wiring, and constantly shifting hazards: construction sites are dangerous by design. And when something goes wrong, the injuries are rarely minor. A construction accident lawyer in Yorktown from Shulman & Hill can help you understand your full range of options, which often go well beyond a standard workers’ compensation claim.
Our firm has significant experience with New York Labor Law cases, including the state’s Scaffold Law, and a free case review can tell you whether your accident qualifies for more than the basics. Get in touch with our Yorktown workers’ compensation lawyers today.
Construction Accident Injuries That Can Change Your Life
Falls from heights, scaffolding collapses, and being struck by falling tools or materials account for some of the most serious injuries on any job site. Victims often face:
- Traumatic brain injuries from falls or being struck by objects
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Crush injuries from heavy equipment or collapsing structures
- Severe burns from electrical accidents or explosions
- Amputations from machinery or power tools
- Multiple fractures requiring surgery and extended rehabilitation
These aren’t injuries that heal on their own timeline. Many require months or years of treatment, and some leave workers permanently unable to return to the trade, which makes the size and source of your compensation a far more serious question than it might be after a minor accident.
Your Workers’ Compensation Rights
If you’re injured on a construction site as an employee, New York’s workers’ compensation system should cover your medical treatment and a portion of your lost wages, regardless of fault. That coverage kicks in whether the accident was caused by a coworker’s mistake, your own misstep, or a hazard nobody caught in time.
What workers’ comp does not do is compensate you for pain and suffering, and it caps how much of your lost income you actually recover. For a career construction worker facing months off the job or a permanent limitation, that gap can be significant.
This is exactly why so many construction accident cases don’t end with workers’ comp; they continue into a separate claim against whoever else may be responsible.
When a Third-Party Claim May Be Available
Construction sites involve far more than just your employer. General contractors, subcontractors, property owners, architects, engineers, and equipment manufacturers can all be present on a single job, and any one of them may share responsibility for what happened to you.
New York’s Labor Law adds another layer specific to construction work. Sections 240 and 241 of the Labor Law (often referred to together as the Scaffold Law) place strict liability on property owners and general contractors for certain height-related hazards, including falls from scaffolds, ladders, and other elevated surfaces, as well as being struck by falling objects.
Strict liability means you generally don’t have to prove the owner or contractor was negligent, only that the hazard falls within the statute, which is a significantly lower bar than a typical negligence claim, and one reason these cases often involve substantial insurance coverage.
A construction accident lawyer in Yorktown can identify every party who may be liable, including entities you may not have even known were involved in the project.
How Liability Is Investigated After a Yorktown Construction Accident
Our firm conducts an in-depth, in-house investigation into what actually happened, which typically involves reviewing site safety records, OSHA citations, and equipment maintenance logs, interviewing coworkers and site supervisors, consulting engineering and safety experts where needed, and reconstructing the sequence of events that led to the accident.
Because Scaffold Law and other Labor Law claims often hinge on very specific facts (was fall protection provided, was a ladder properly secured, was safety equipment inspected, etc.), the depth of this investigation frequently determines how strong the case turns out to be.
Evidence That Can Support Your Claim
The following evidence carries the most weight in construction accident cases:
- Site safety logs, inspection records, and OSHA violation history
- Photos or video of the accident scene and any hazard involved
- Equipment maintenance and inspection records
- Witness statements from coworkers or site personnel
- Medical records connecting your injuries to the accident
- Any safety equipment that failed or wasn’t provided
Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Case
A few missteps can gradually damage an otherwise strong claim.
Giving a recorded statement to an insurance company before speaking with a Yorktown construction accident lawyer, returning to work before you’re medically cleared, posting about the accident or your recovery on social media, and accepting a quick settlement offer before the full extent of your injuries is known can all reduce what you ultimately recover.
Site conditions also get altered quickly once work resumes, so delaying legal help can mean losing access to evidence that’s no longer there.
What Compensation May Be Available
Depending on your case, compensation may include current and future medical expenses, lost wages and diminished future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and permanent disability or disfigurement.
Because Scaffold Law claims often involve large insurance policies given the severity of the injuries typically involved, these cases can result in substantially higher recoveries than a standard workers’ comp claim alone. This is part of why identifying every available claim matters so much.
Why Timely Action Matters in Yorktown
New York generally allows three years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury or Labor Law claim, though claims involving a government entity may come with a much shorter notice requirement.
Legal deadline aside, evidence at construction sites also disappears fast: debris gets cleared, equipment gets repaired or replaced, and witnesses move on to other jobs. Acting early preserves both your legal options and the proof needed to support them.
Speak With a Construction Accident Lawyer in Yorktown
Construction accidents often involve more than one at-fault party and more than one source of compensation, and most injured workers don’t discover that on their own. A construction accident lawyer in Yorktown at Shulman & Hill can investigate your accident, identify every liable party, and pursue the full compensation the law allows.
Consultations are free, and you pay nothing unless we win.