Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
Since 2013, our Queens machinery accident lawyers at Shulman & Hill Injury Lawyers have helped injured New Yorkers pursue workers’ compensation benefits, personal injury claims, and related legal claims that grow out of serious job injuries.
Our attorneys bring over 200 years of combined experience to cases involving unsafe equipment, defective machines, denied benefits, and third-party liability. If you were hurt by a machine at work, Shulman & Hill can investigate what happened, protect your claim, and help you understand every path to recovery under New York law.
Contact us today for a free consultation with a Queens workers’ compensation lawyer.
How Our Queens Machinery Accident Lawyers Build Strong Claims
At Shulman & Hill, we conduct in-depth in-house investigations using extensive evidence, including:
- Accident and incident reports.
- Photos, videos, and surveillance footage.
- Machine manuals and warning labels.
- Guarding systems and emergency stop features.
- Lockout/tagout procedures.
- Repair and inspection records.
- OSHA-related materials.
- Training records and job assignments.
- Medical records and work restrictions.
- Insurance coverage for all responsible parties.
Our Queens personal injury lawyers also look at whether similar incidents happened before. Prior complaints, repairs, near-misses, or ignored safety concerns can help show that a hazard was known before you were hurt.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits After a Queens Machinery Injury
If you were injured while doing your job in New York, workers’ compensation may provide medical care and cash benefits. These benefits can apply even when the accident was not your employer’s fault, and you may still be able to file a claim if you returned to work after the injury.
Depending on your injury, workers’ compensation may help with:
- Authorized medical treatment.
- Wage benefits if you cannot work.
- Reduced earnings benefits if you return at lower pay because of the injury.
- Awards for certain permanent injuries.
- Disability benefits tied to your work restrictions.
- Death benefits for eligible family members in fatal cases.
Many workers assume they cannot seek benefits if they kept working. That is not always true. Some claims start with medical treatment only, while wage benefits depend on lost time, reduced earnings, and medical proof.
Shulman & Hill represents New York workers in workers’ compensation claims, including many blue-collar and public-sector employees. We do not represent federal employees, including USPS workers, because those claims follow a different system.
When You May Have a Third-Party Machinery Accident Lawsuit
Workers’ compensation is usually the legal claim against your employer. It does not automatically block a lawsuit against a non-employer whose conduct, product, or property contributed to the accident.
You may have a third-party claim if a defective machine, unsafe jobsite condition, outside contractor, property owner, maintenance company, or equipment supplier played a role.
A third-party lawsuit may allow you to pursue damages that workers’ compensation does not pay, including pain and suffering and full lost income damages.
This is one reason machinery cases need careful review. A worker may have one claim before the Workers’ Compensation Board and a separate lawsuit in court, both tied to the same injury.
Who May Be Legally Responsible Besides Your Employer
A worksite injury does not always end with the employer’s insurance carrier. In Queens, machinery accidents can involve multiple companies, vendors, contractors, and property owners.
Potential third parties may include:
- Equipment manufacturers that sold a defective machine.
- Parts manufacturers that supplied defective components.
- Maintenance companies that failed to fix known hazards.
- Contractors or subcontractors that created unsafe work areas.
- Property owners that allowed hazardous operations.
- Rental companies that supplied unsafe or poorly maintained equipment.
- Safety consultants or vendors that failed to address machine hazards.
Our Queens machinery accident attorneys review contracts, purchase records, maintenance logs, inspection reports, training materials, safety policies, witness statements, and prior incident history.
Our goal is to find every legally responsible party and build the claim with strong evidence.
Why Deadlines Can Affect Your Queens Machinery Accident Claim
New York workers’ compensation claims have strict notice and filing deadlines. In general, injured workers must notify their employer within 30 days and file Form C-3 with the Workers’ Compensation Board within two years.
A third-party lawsuit may have a different deadline. Claims involving public entities may also have shorter notice requirements. Waiting can make the case harder because evidence can disappear quickly.
In machinery cases, delay can affect:
- Access to the machine before it is repaired or removed.
- Surveillance footage.
- Maintenance and inspection records.
- Witness statements.
- Contractor and vendor records.
- Proof that a safety device was missing or disabled.
If you were injured by machinery at work, speak with a machinery accident attorney in Queens as soon as you can. Early action gives us more time to protect evidence and identify every source of compensation.
How Shulman & Hill Can Help After a Queens Machinery Accident
A machinery injury can leave you dealing with doctors, missed paychecks, insurance paperwork, and fear about your future. Our job is to take that legal pressure off your shoulders and move your case forward with strategy and evidence.
Shulman & Hill can help you:
- File or strengthen your workers’ compensation claim.
- Respond to denied or delayed benefits.
- Gather medical and wage proof.
- Investigate unsafe machinery and worksite conditions.
- Determine whether a third-party lawsuit is available.
- Coordinate workers’ compensation and personal injury claims.
- Deal with insurance carriers and defense attorneys.
- Seek the full compensation available under New York law.
We are based in Manhattan, with offices across the boroughs, and we bring big-city legal experience with local access for injured New Yorkers. Our firm has recovered over $1 billion for clients and has served more than 26,000 people.
Contact a Queens Machinery Accident Attorney Today
If you were hurt by unsafe equipment at work, do not wait for the insurance carrier or your employer to decide what happens next. Shulman & Hill can review the accident, explain your legal options, and help you take the next step toward benefits and compensation.
Contact us today for a free consultation. Every Borough, Every Block, New York, We Got You.
