Brooklyn is one of the most active construction zones in the entire country. From towering residential developments in Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg to commercial builds in Sunset Park and infrastructure projects across the borough, construction cranes and scaffolding are a constant presence on Brooklyn streets. That level of activity means a constant presence of risk, and when safety shortcuts are taken, workers and bystanders pay the price with their health, their livelihoods, and sometimes their lives.
If you or a loved one was injured on a Brooklyn construction site, Jacoby & Meyers, LLP is ready to fight for the compensation you deserve. Our Brooklyn construction accident attorneys have decades of experience handling serious injury and wrongful death claims across New York City, and we serve clients throughout Brooklyn.
We take every case on a contingency fee basis. There are no upfront costs, and you pay nothing unless we win. Call us today for a free case evaluation.
¿Son peligrosos los trabajos en la construcción?
El sector de la construcción es una parte fundamental de la economía estadounidense. El trabajo de los trabajadores de la construcción influye en todos los aspectos de nuestras vidas: desde la calidad de los edificios en los que vivimos y trabajamos hasta la seguridad de las calles por las que circulamos.
Rara vez nos paramos a pensar que los trabajadores de la construcción ponen en peligro sus vidas cada día cuando van a trabajar. Las estadísticas laborales muestran que la construcción es uno de los sectores más peligrosos de Estados Unidos:
- Según la Asociación General de Contratistas de Estados Unidos, el sector de la construcción cuenta con más de 680 000 empresas y más de 7 millones de trabajadores en todo el país.
- Una de cada cinco muertes en el lugar de trabajo corresponde a un trabajador del sector de la construcción.
- Más de un tercio de todas las muertes relacionadas con la construcción se deben a una caída.
¿Dónde se producen los accidentes de construcción?
Cuando pensamos en una obra, lo más probable es que nos vengan a la mente imágenes de maquinaria pesada y andamios. Pero las obras no solo se encuentran en las calles de las ciudades. Están por todas partes. LaOficina de Estadísticas Laboralesinformó de que 849 570 estadounidenses trabajaban como peones de la construcción en un año reciente. Otros 227 460 ocupaban el cargo de jefe de obra, mientras que los carpinteros, electricistas e ingenieros de operaciones sumaban 611 070, 503 660 y 245 320 trabajadores, respectivamente.
Dado el gran número de trabajadores que hay en el sector de la construcción, los accidentes se producen prácticamente en cualquier entorno imaginable:
- City buildings: In one recent year, Brooklyn had more active construction projects than any other borough of New York City. At the time there were 2,800 active permits on file. The largest project was a 3.9 million square foot skyscraper. Working on city buildings comes with particular risks for Brooklyn construction workers. Not only must workers do their jobs at extreme heights, they must also contend with limited space and numerous distractions, which can make it difficult for workers to get their job done safely.
- Carreteras: Millones de personas circulan cada día por obras viales. Es fácil dar por sentado lo peligrosas que son las obras viales para los trabajadores. Los trabajadores de la carretera deben hacer frente a las inclemencias del tiempo, al espacio reducido y al tráfico que circula en sentido contrario. Las obras de reparación en puentes, semáforos o en zonas de mucho tráfico hacen que los trabajadores de las obras sean especialmente vulnerables a sufrir lesiones.
- Viviendas y oficinas: La construcción de viviendas nuevas, las reparaciones y las reformas constituyen una parte importante del sector de la construcción. Aunque estos trabajos pueden ser más aislados y ofrecer más espacio, plantean retos diferentes. Los trabajadores suelen desconocer la zona en la que trabajan y es posible que no sean conscientes de los peligros ocultos. Además, los propietarios pueden ejercer una presión adicional sobre los trabajadores para que terminen el trabajo rápidamente.
- Instalaciones de fabricación: El sector manufacturero está creciendo, al igual que la demanda de nuevos edificios. Además de los riesgos habituales, los trabajadores deben instalar equipos pesados y, a menudo, peligrosos.
The Construction Danger in Brooklyn
Brooklyn consistently ranks among the most active construction boroughs in New York City. With hundreds of active building permits at any given time, spanning new residential towers, hotel conversions, school renovations, utility upgrades, and roadway projects, the scale of construction activity across Brooklyn is enormous. That activity brings with it an elevated risk of serious accidents.
Construction is consistently the deadliest industry in New York City. According to the NYC Department of Buildings, Brooklyn accounted for two construction fatalities in 2024 and 155 reported worker injuries, second only to Manhattan citywide. Falls remained the leading cause of deaths, followed by accidents involving collapsing structures and unsafe work practices that violated stop-work orders.
The vast majority of construction accidents are preventable. They result from ignored safety standards, inadequate training, pressure to meet deadlines, and failures of oversight by contractors and property owners who are legally responsible for maintaining safe work sites. When those responsible parties fail in their duty, injured workers have legal rights, and Jacoby & Meyers is here to help exercise them.
Common Construction Accident Causes in Brooklyn
Construction sites are complex environments with overlapping hazards, and the most serious accidents typically result from multiple failures occurring simultaneously. The most common causes our Brooklyn construction accident lawyers see include:
- Falls from scaffolding, ladders, rooftops, and elevated platforms
- Being struck by falling tools, materials, or debris
- Electrocution from exposed or improperly labeled wiring
- Caught-in or caught-between accidents involving machinery
- Crane collapses and crane swing construction accidents
- Trench and excavation collapses
- Forklift, backhoe, and heavy equipment construction accidents
- Defective or improperly maintained construction equipment
- Scaffolding failures and scaffold collapses
- Chemical and toxic material exposure
- Building collapses from unauthorized structural alterations
- Traffic collisions in roadway construction zones
OSHA identifies falls, struck-by-object incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between construction accidents as the leading causes of construction fatalities nationally, together known as the “Fatal Four.” These four categories account for the majority of construction deaths in Brooklyn and across New York City each year.
Injuries We Handle for Construction Accident Victims
Construction accidents cause some of the most severe injuries seen in any area of personal injury law. Our Brooklyn construction accident lawyers regularly handle cases involving:
- Lesiones cerebrales traumáticas (LCT)
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Fractures, crush injuries, and broken bones
- Traumatic amputation
- Severe burns from electrical or chemical exposure
- Lacerations and internal bleeding
- Hearing loss and vision damage
- Cicatrices y desfiguración
- Muerte por negligencia
Many of these injuries require months or years of ongoing treatment, permanent lifestyle adjustments, and long-term income loss. Our attorneys work to make sure the full scope of your damages, present and future, is reflected in any claim or settlement we pursue on your behalf.
New York Labor Laws that Protect Brooklyn Construction Workers
New York provides some of the most worker-protective construction safety laws in the United States. Three sections of the New York Labor Law are central to most Brooklyn construction accident claims.
Labor Law §240: The Scaffolding Law
Labor Law §240 is one of the most powerful worker-protection statutes in the country. It applies to gravity-related accidents, falls from height, and injuries caused by falling objects, and imposes strict liability on property owners and general contractors who fail to provide adequate fall protection, such as scaffolding, harnesses, hoists, pulleys, and ladders. Strict liability means the injured worker does not need to prove negligence, only that the required safety equipment was absent, inadequate, or improperly rigged, and that this failure caused the injury.
Claims under §240 are frequently high-value and aggressively contested by defendants and their insurers. Having a Brooklyn construction accident lawyer who knows how these cases are fought and how to win them is essential.
Labor Law §241: Construction Site Safety Requirements
Section 241 requires property owners and general contractors to provide reasonable and adequate safety protections for all construction, demolition, renovation, and excavation work. It creates strict liability for violations of specific provisions in the New York State Industrial Code, covering hazards from trench safety to power tool guarding to stairway regulations.
Labor Law §200: General Duty to Maintain a Safe Worksite
Section 200 codifies the common-law obligation to maintain a reasonably safe work environment. Claims under §200 typically apply when a dangerous site condition, not just a specific OSHA-type violation, caused the injury, and require showing that the owner or contractor had control over and notice of that condition.
Your Jacoby & Meyers attorney will analyze which statutes apply to your accident and how to build the strongest possible legal argument under each.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Brooklyn Construction Accident?
Multiple parties often share responsibility for a construction accident, and identifying each of them is one of the most important things an experienced Brooklyn construction accident lawyer can do for your case. Potentially liable parties include:
- General contractors and construction managers
- Subcontractors and specialty trades
- Property owners and real estate developers
- Scaffolding and equipment rental companies
- Manufacturers of defective tools or machinery
- Architects and engineers of record
- Building owners who authorized unsafe alterations
Our attorneys investigate every aspect of your case, including reviewing contracts, NYC Department of Buildings records, OSHA inspection reports, safety logs, and eyewitness accounts, to hold every responsible party accountable.
Your Legal Options After a Brooklyn Construction Accident
If you were employed on the construction site when you were injured, you are generally entitled to workers’ compensation benefits regardless of fault. Workers’ comp covers all reasonable and necessary medical treatment and pays a portion of lost wages, typically two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you cannot work. It does not compensate for pain and suffering.
Workers’ comp is typically the starting point, but rarely the full picture of what you are owed. If your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance, they are violating New York law and can be held directly liable for your damages. Contact our attorneys immediately if you suspect your employer lacks coverage.
Third-Party Personal Injury Lawsuit
New York law allows you to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against parties other than your direct employer, and this is where the full scope of your damages can be recovered. A successful third-party claim can include full lost wages, pain and suffering, loss of future earning capacity, and all medical expenses beyond what workers’ comp covers. For non-workers such as passers by or visitors injured on a Brooklyn construction site, a personal injury claim is the primary route to compensation.
Demanda por homicidio culposo
If you lost a family member in a Brooklyn construction accident, you may have a wrongful death claim. Recoverable damages can include the deceased’s lost future earnings, final medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, and loss of companionship. Wrongful death cases are among the most emotionally difficult matters our attorneys handle, and we approach them with the care and compassion they deserve.
Seguridad Social por incapacidad
For workers whose injuries are severe enough to prevent any return to gainful employment, Social Security Disability benefits may also be available. Jacoby & Meyers works to ensure our clients can access every benefit they are entitled to.
We Can Help You Recover Compensation for Your Construction Accident Injuries
Recoverable damages in a Brooklyn construction accident case depend on the nature of your claim, the severity of your injuries, and the liable parties involved. They may include:
- All medical expenses, including emergency treatment, surgery, hospitalization, and prescriptions
- Future medical costs for permanent conditions requiring ongoing care
- Physical, occupational, and cognitive rehabilitation
- Salarios perdidos no cubiertos por el seguro de accidentes de trabajo
- Pérdida de capacidad futura para obtener ingresos
- Home modification and assistive device costs
- Dolor y sufrimiento
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium
- Cicatrices y desfiguración
- Punitive damages in cases involving gross negligence or willfull safety violations
Deadlines You Cannot Afford to Miss
New York’s statute of limitations gives most construction accident victims three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit against private parties. For wrongful death claims, the window is two years. If any government entity is involved, the City of New York, a city agency, or a municipal contractor, you may have as few as 90 days to file a Notice of Claim, with additional shorter deadlines that follow.
For workers’ compensation, you must notify your employer within 30 days of the injury and file a formal workers’ comp claim with the state within two years. Missing these deadlines can permanently eliminate your right to any compensation. Contact a Brooklyn construction accident lawyer as soon as possible after your injury.
Protecting Your Claim: Steps to Take After a Brooklyn Construction Accident
The actions you take in the days immediately following a construction accident can significantly affect the strength of your legal claim. Where possible:
- Report the accident to your employer or site supervisor right away.
- Seek medical attention immediately and be specific that the injury occurred at a construction site.
- Photograph the accident scene, including the area where the accident occurred, any absent or damaged safety equipment, and visible injuries.
- Collect the names and contact information of any witnesses.
- Preserve copies of all medical bills, pay stubs, and out-of-pocket expenses.
- Do not give recorded statements to insurance company representatives before speaking with an attorney.
- Contact Jacoby & Meyers, LLP for a free case evaluation.
Why the Brooklyn Construction Accident Lawyers at Jacoby & Meyers Are Right for Your Case
Jacoby & Meyers, LLP has been fighting for injured New Yorkers for nearly 50 years. Our construction injury attorneys are recognized by the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and we have recovered millions of dollars for construction accident victims and their families across Brooklyn and throughout New York City.
We have two convenient Brooklyn office locations, on 3rd Avenue and Kings Highway, and we offer free case evaluations with no obligation. We work exclusively on contingency: no upfront fees, and no attorney costs unless we win your case.
Contact a Brooklyn Construction Accident Attorney Today
Abogado especializado en accidentes de construcción, Andrew Finkelstein
If a construction accident has left you injured, out of work, and facing an uncertain future, do not face it alone. The experienced legal team at Jacoby & Meyers, LLP is ready to get to work on your case.
Call our Brooklyn offices or reach out online to schedule your free case evaluation. There is no obligation, and there is never a fee unless we win.
Oficina de Brooklyn
1711 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 11229
1-877-565-2993
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