Best Admiralty & Maritime Lawyers in New York, NY

On the site of an NYU construction project, large steel plates needed to be moved using an excavator machine. The steel plates had metal chains attached at their centers, and those metal chains provided attachment to the excavator machine. To prevent the steel plates from swinging and becoming unstable, workers—including our client, a union truck driver—were instructed to stand on the corners of the steel plates to act as counterweights. During the hoisting process, our client fell off the steel plate approximately 3-5 feet and into the excavation below. Despite significant pain, our client continued to work. Eventually, specialists and MR Is concluded that he suffered tears to his left shoulder and knees, and disc herniations in his neck and back. He underwent several surgeries, and, as a result of his injuries, was unable to continue the physical labor required of his field. Block O’Toole & Murphy filed an action against the City of New York and NYU, as well as Turner Construction, the general contractor, alleging that they violated Lab Law 240(1). Defendants attempted to dismiss the case, arguing that the Labor Law did not apply to the accident because our client fell from an insignificant height and that he was the sole cause of the accident. They also claimed that our client’s injuries were not caused by the accident and that his surgeries were unnecessary. Firm Partners Jeffrey A. Block and S. Joseph Donahue settled this matter prior to trial for $5,000,000.