Long Island Construction Accident Lawyer
Experienced Construction Accident Attorneys Serving Long Island, NY
Long Island construction workers are exposed to hazards on a daily basis and accidents occur despite State and Federal laws requiring safe working conditions. New York Labor Laws impose a wide variety of safety restrictions on owners and general contractors of construction sites. It is for this reason that most construction accidents are avoidable and are usually due to the failure of owners and general contractors to follow required laws.
At Palermo Law, we have over two decades of experience handling all aspects of Long Island construction accident litigation. Long Island construction accident attorney, Steven Palermo heads our team of qualified legal professionals. His career highlights include a settlement for 1.5 million dollars for a Long Island construction worker injured on a project in New York City and a $975,000 settlement for a Long Island construction accident victim.
How much is my construction accident case worth?
The value of a construction accident injury is determined by various factors, including economic expenses like lost wages and property damage, as well as non-economic losses such as pain and suffering and mental distress. At Palermo Law, our extensive experience in handling numerous accident cases enables us to accurately evaluate the value of your case and secure the fairest settlement or jury award possible. For cases involving long-term injuries, we work with specialists in medicine and economics to ensure that your compensation is adjusted to account for future inflation. This provides you with peace of mind, knowing that you will receive compensation for years to come.
Who pays for medical bills and lost wages after a Long Island construction accident?
The primary source of coverage for medical bills and lost wages is Workers Compensation Insurance. However, often workers compensation does not cover all of a person’s losses following an accident. For example, it may only cover a portion of your lost wages. Any additional money for lost wages, as well as money for pain and suffering, will have to come from the responsible party’s insurance. It is a good idea to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible to see if you have a valid construction accident claim.
Types of losses that a person can recoup in a construction accident lawsuit:
- Past and future lost wages
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Past and future medical expenses
In many instances a person will suffer life long loss of income, medical expenses and pain and suffering. We often team with experts in the field of medicine and economics to determine the full value of a person’s future losses. In doing so, we are able to recover enough money to give you piece of mind that you will be taken care of for the rest of your life.
Five Essential Tips for Construction Accident Victims following an accident
- Seek medical attention for any injuries, even minor injuries. Often injuries that result from a construction accident intensify in the hours and days following an accident. It’s best to be cautious.
- Obtain an Accident Report. It is always a good idea to document your accident.
- Contact your company’s workers compensation insurance carrier to report the accident. Any medical bills will need to be paid by that insurance.
- Do not give any statements without first consulting with a construction accident attorney.
- Contact a construction accident lawyer for a free consultation if you have any issues.
New York Labor Laws
New York has many laws that aim to protect individuals. The Labor Law is specifically designed to protect those people that are involved in all aspects of construction work including erection, demolition and repair work. Specifically sections 200, 240 and 241 place an onerous burden on owners and general contractors to protect worker’s safety:
- Labor Law 200 requires that employers and those overseeing a construction site use reasonable care to keep workspaces and workers safe. If a construction worker is injured section 200 will likely apply.
- Labor Law 240 states that construction workers that work at elevations are entitled to appropriate safety equipment and procedures. Scaffolding, hoists and other equipment must be put in place to ensure the safety of construction workers. If the owner or general contractor fails to provide or maintain this equipment properly, they may be liable for any injury that results from their failures. This would include injuries from falls as well as including objects that fall from heights and cause injuries.
- Labor Law 241 states that owners and general contractors are required to follow certain building codes of the State of New York. Failing to properly follow those codes imposes strict liability on the owner and general contractor.
Keep in mind that Long Island construction accident litigation is extremely complicated. There are usually multiple entities involved with layers of insurance protection and skilled attorneys defending them. Further, injuries suffered at a construction site are often serious in nature. That is why it is important to consult with an experienced construction site accident attorney.
FAQs About Construction Accidents
How Much Does Your Construction Accident Law Firm Charge to Handle a Case?
We do not charge an upfront fee to represent individuals that have been injured in construction accidents. We work on a contingency basis, which means we only charge a fee if we win your case either by way of trial or settlement. Further, we lay out all of the expenses in the case as it is progressing and only get reimbursed once the case is settled. We also offer each potential client a free no obligation initial consultation to discuss your case.
It is our goal to remove all financial impediments to your ability to hire a lawyer. It is our belief that every accident victim should have the right to legal representation. It is likely impossible for an injured person to pay an hourly rate to a lawyer for an accident case, especially if they are unable to work. By working on a contingency basis our clients can rest assured that they have received knowledgeable aggressive representation against the responsible party’s insurance company without the worry of paying an hourly rate of several hundred dollars.
How Can I Tell If I Have A Case?
The New York State Labor Law provides construction workers with laws that protect their safety. The owners and general contractors of construction sites are required to provide a safe work environment for construction workers. Failing to do so will make them responsible for any injuries that a construction worker suffers.
In order to find out if the owner and general manager of your construction site was complying with all of the relevant requirements of the Labor Law, it is best to consult with our law firm. We will review the specifics of your accident in a free consultation and assess your case at no cost to you. We have handled hundreds of personal injury cases, many of them being construction accidents and are able to accurately determine if you have a potential case. We have six locations throughout Long Island and can even come to your home or hospital if necessary.
How Long Does a Construction Accident Case Take?
It is hard to estimate the length of time any accident case will take. However, it is safe to say that the earliest that a case is likely to settle is after you have made a full recovery or at least until your doctors have determined that you will not make a full recovery and are able to estimate what your disabilities will be moving forward.
However, construction accident cases often involve multiple parties and involve complex areas of the law. So, it is very possible that a case may last longer than your recovery period. But it is our practice to aggressively litigate every case in an attempt to bring the case to a resolution in the least amount of time possible.
What Type of Construction Accidents Do You Handle?
We handle all types of construction accidents. But, some of our more common types of cases involve falls from ladders and scaffolding, injuries from falling objects, tripping injuries and injuries from faulty machinery.
What should I Bring to my Initial Consultation for my Construction Accident Case?
There is nothing that you need to bring to the consultation for your construction accident case. However, there are a few things that will help us to better assess your case more accurately. First, it is a good idea to bring information as to the location of the accident. Second, the names of the owner and contractors on the site would be helpful information. Also, any photographs depicting the cause of your accident or the injuries that you suffered would be helpful. A list of doctors that you are seeing is also helpful. Finally, the names of any witnesses is also a good thing to bring.
What Should I Expect Once I Hire Your Law Firm?
The first thing that my law firm will do is complete a full investigation of your accident which includes gathering all insurance information from the responsible parties, gathering evidence and witness statements, hiring experts in construction if necessary, and gathering all medical evidence of your injuries.
After the investigation is complete, we will proceed with initiating a law suit against the responsible parties and litigate the case in court by conducting discovery. Once discovery is complete, we will work towards obtaining a trial date. Finally, if the insurance company of the responsible party is unwilling to pay a fair amount of compensation for your injuries, we will try the case and attempt to get a verdict that adequately compensates you for the injuries that you suffered in your construction accident. Click here to see our full process.
How Will I Pay for my Medical Bills Following a Construction Accident?
In most instances, if you were employed by a company, you will be able to make a claim for workers compensation benefits through your employer’s workers compensation insurance carrier. That insurance will pay for all of your accident related medical expenses as well as lost wages. However, once your personal injury case is settled with the responsible party’s insurance carrier, your workers compensation insurance carrier will be entitled to be reimbursed from your proceeds. So, it is important to calculate the amount of money due back to workers compensation and make sure it is included in your personal injury settlement. For example, if your workers compensation insurance carrier is entitled to receive $10,000 for reimbursed medical expenses and lost wages you should increase the amount of your personal injury settlement demand to account for that money. Failing to do so, will affect your net settlement amount for your personal injury law suit.
At Palermo Law, we are experienced in making sure that all of your reimbursable liens are taken care of and contemplated prior to settlement. This way there are no surprises and you know that your settlement is your money and not owed to other parties.
What Should I Look For In A Construction Accident Attorney?
I believe there are three important qualities that make up a good construction accident lawyer.
First, experience is important. The right personal injury attorney for your case will have a long track history of handling cases similar to yours in the jurisdiction where your accident happened. For example if you were in a construction accident in Long Island, you would want to find an experienced Long Island Construction accident lawyer because that lawyer will not only be fully familiar with the law with respect to construction accidents, the lawyer will also understand the Judges, Court System and Jurors.
Second, having a good reputation is important. In terms of the personal injury legal community, Long Island is a small place. Often, we deal with the same insurance adjusters, defense attorneys and judges. Also, in today’s information age attorney reviews are easy to find. Most Long Island personal injury attorneys will have many reviews on various websites. Google, Avvo, Lawyers.com, Yelp and Facebook all list attorney reviews. It is worth the time to read them to see how the attorney that you are considering for your injury case has a good reputation.
Finally, an attorney’s prior results are very important. If your attorney doesn’t have a track record of recovering large verdicts and settlements with construction accidents, how can you be sure they will get you the most compensation possible? Most attorneys will list their results online. Take a few minutes to read them.
How Much Compensation Am I Entitled To For My Construction Accident Injury?
The goal of a personal injury claim is to compensate you for all of your losses following an accident. Most losses can be broken down into two categories, economic losses and non-economic losses. Economic losses are more physical assets of economic loss as a result of the accident, while non-economic losses are summated by the personal emotional toll the accident had on a person’s life.
Economic Losses: Economic losses include medical bills, lost wages and other out of pocket expenses. In most cases your medical bills will be paid for by some form of insurance. However, any co-payments and unreimbursed medical expenses that you incur are reimbursable through your lawsuit. Also, in some cases you may be required to reimburse your healthcare provider for medical expenses that they have incurred if you receive a settlement. In such cases that amount of money will be passed onto the defendant in the case.
There are often out of pocket expenses associated with an injury such as travel expenses and cost of modifications to your home or vehicle. This is also the responsibility of the at fault party.
Further, your economic damages may last into the future and in some cases may be permanent. For example, if you cannot return to work you are entitled to life-long lost wages. In such situations it may be necessary to hire an economist to figure out your future lost wages so that they can be reimbursed in your lawsuit.
Non-economic Losses: Non-economic losses include your pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and other emotional injuries. Unlike economic damages, non-economic damages are more subjective. Therefore, it can often be difficult to put a financial figure on such damages. The way it is usually done is by comparing people that have suffered similar injuries and seeing what juries have awarded them at trial. However, if a settlement cannot be reached then that amount of money is decided by a jury. This can often lead to a wide discrepancy from case to case. Also, like economic losses, non-economic losses can also be permanent. In such cases that will have to be accounted for in the jury’s verdict or in the settlement.
Finally, perhaps the most important factor in determining the amount of money that you are entitled to following an accident is the amount of insurance the responsible party has to satisfy any judgment you obtain. For example, if your total losses equal $1,000,000 but the responsible party is only insured for $25,000, your only way of recovering the difference will be by personally enforcing the judgment you obtain at trial against the responsible party’s assets. In my experience as a Construction Accident Attorney, most people do not have assets to pay that type of judgment. Therefore, for most accidents, your recovery will be limited by the other party’s insurance. However, there are situations where you can make an additional claim against your own insurance carrier if the responsible party is underinsured.
Where Are You Located?
We have six locations throughout Long Island. Our main office is in Hauppauge. But we also have offices in Huntington, Babylon, Patchogue, Riverhead and Carle Place. We can also arrange in home or hospital appointments if you are unable to make it to one of our locations. We even offer after hours and weekend appointments.
Why Hire Palermo Law?
- We always offer a free no obligation consultation.
- We never charge a fee unless we win your case.
- We provide personal one on one attention to every client.
- We handle all no-fault insurance communications and paperwork for you free of charge.
- We have over two decades of experience litigating construction injury cases on Long Island.
- We have obtained numerous million dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients.
About Our Law Firm
Construction accidents are perhaps the most complicated type of personal injury case there is to handle. There are usually many entities involved in a construction accident including the owner of the building, general contractor and sub-contractors. Each party has to be investigated to find out their role in the accident. Often these entities have complicated indemnification contracts which need to be interpreted, as well.
As an experienced long Island construction accident law firm, Palermo Law has over two decades of experience handling all types of accident cases including construction accidents. We understand the complexities of construction accident litigation and know what it takes to win your case.
Managing partner, Steven Palermo handles all of the firm’s construction accident cases. He has over two decades of experience and has been successful in recovering million dollars for his clients. His career highlights include a 1.7 million dollar settlement for a construction accident and a $925,000 for another accident involving a construction accident.
Palermo law always offers a no obligation free initial consultation and never charges a fee unless we win your case. So, if you’ve been involved in a construction accident on Long Island and would like a free consultation, give us a call.
We can also arrange an in home or hospital consultation with you. Further, we handle all personal injury cases on a contingency basis meaning we never charge a fee unless we win your case.
Types of Long Island Construction Accidents:
- Scaffold accidents
- Ladder accidents
- Construction site falls
- Failure to supervise
- Failure to provide safety gear
- Dangerous equipment
Trial Ready Strategy
Most construction injury lawsuits are settled out of court at some point before a trial. Many personal injury law firms on Long Island don’t fully prepare their cases for trial when anticipating a settlement. This weakens their position when it comes time to negotiating a settlement. At Palermo Law, we always fully prepare every construction injury case as if it is going to trial. This level of preparation gives us the leverage to negotiate the highest possible compensation for our clients and puts us in a strong position should a trial become necessary.
Focused on Helping the Injured
We realize that being really well versed in any one area of law takes focus. Construction injury law is no exception. That’s why our construction injury lawyers only handle personal injury cases. Steven Palermo, our managing partner, has been exclusively handling personal injury cases for the last two decades. We handle all types of personal injury cases for the injured, including car accidents, slip and falls and work related accidents. We have never represented an insurance company and never will. We do what we do because we love helping people.
Free Consultation
We offer every potential construction injury client a free, no obligation consultation at any of our five locations throughout Long Island. During the consultation, we will discuss your case in detail and give you our opinion on the chances of success. We will also discuss our potential strategy and our process for handling your case. If after fully discussing your case we feel it is a good fit for our Long Island Personal Injury law firm, we will discuss our fees and give you the option of moving forward with us as your lawyers.
Additional Construction Accident Resources
- Understanding The Difference Between A Workers’ Compensation Claim & A Personal Injury Claim
- How Construction Accident Cases Are Handled In New York
- How The “Scaffolding Law” Protects Construction Workers Injured On The Job
- How Much Is Your Construction Accident Case Worth?
Contact a Long Island Construction Accident Lawyer
We have litigated hundreds of accident cases over the last two decades. As a result, we’ve become very proficient in handling all aspects of accident litigation including no-fault and property damage claims. We know all the ins and outs of Long Island construction accident claims and will use our experience to make sure you receive full compensation. We handle all Long Island accident cases on a contingency basis. This means we never charge an upfront fee and only get paid if we win your case.