The Platta Law Firm, PLLC

This case involved a worker injured while performing renovation work of a country club. He was cutting shingles for baseboard installation with a handsaw, when the hand saw kicked back and struck his left hand. The rotating saw blade got entangled in his glove cutting into his hand. In an effort to save his hand, he reflexively stood up while trying to pull the saw out of the glove and stepped back on the rocks scattered on top of the slippery tarp, causing him to trip, slip and fall back. As a result of this accident, plaintiff sustained herniations in his lower back and tears in...

This case involved a worker who was struck by a tar bucket which fell from a hoist’s container while being hoisted down by his coworkers from the roof of the five/six-story school building. There was no planking in the hoistway to protect against falling objects, no tag lines to control swaying of the hoist’s container while in motion. As a result of this accident, plaintiff sustained serious injuries, including a bimalleolar fracture and transverse fracture of the medial malleolus of the left ankle which required open reduction internal fixation surgery to repair. He also...

While working on the 17th floor of the Chrysler building, our client was cleaning and moving large 2000 lb. stones on a hanging scaffold. He was instructed to use a manual hand hoist without proper licensing. When the scaffold malfunctioned, the hoist struck his head and back. Despite the injury, he was told to continue working and not report the incident.

This case involved a commercial plumber performing renovation work at a residential building. The entire plumbing system was being demolished and replaced. While removing a pipe from the ceiling with two co-workers, the pipe fell and swung towards plaintiff. It struck plaintiff in his hand, wrist, and arm, before striking the ladder plaintiff was standing on, and knocking plaintiff into the wall. As a result of this accident, plaintiff sustained serious injuries, including, but not limited to injuries to his left arm requiring surgery, injuries to his cervical spine requiring...

The plaintiff was working for a construction company performing renovation work at a public housing complex when he was caused to fall off an unsecured extension ladder. The surface upon which the ladder was resting was unstable, and the worker tasked with holding the ladder was unable to keep it upright. The construction field supervisor conceded during his deposition that the ladder should have been attached securely to the building with a safety line. As a result of the accident, the plaintiff suffered serious injuries to his head, shoulder, lower back, and neck, which...

A 44 year old plumber, was injured while renovating a mixed use building on Central Park South in Manhattan. As he was attempting to repair a leaking pipe, he slipped on plastic sheeting that was being used to temporarily protect a staircase leading to the subway station below the building. He suffered injuries requiring surgery to his lumbar spine, and his right shoulder and ankle as well as injuries to his neck, head and both wrists. The defendant building owner and general contractor tried to argue the accident was the Plaintiff’s fault and that his injuries preexisted his...

What started as a routine day on the scaffold took a serious turn when the planks beneath our client suddenly shifted, causing him to fall to a lower level. He suffered injuries to his neck, back, and leg requiring significant medical care. Despite heavy disputes over how the accident occurred, we fought through the challenges and secured a strong result for our client.

A 53-year-old electrician was working at the renovation of a commercial building. He was installing conduit in the ceiling on a scaffold. When moving the scaffold, a heavy plank fell 13 feet from the scaffold and hit him. After the accident, plaintiff received a scrape to his head and sustained three fractured toes. He was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee and herniated discs in his neck. The defendants argued that most of his injuries were pre-existing but eventually had to re-evaluate their case. After further negotiation, they came up to the acceptable...

A 50 year old construction worker was injured in a trench performing shoring work. A part of the trench wall collapsed causing dirt and concrete debris to fall on him. He sustained injuries to his neck, back, both knees, left ankle and left shoulder. Defendants argued that they were not liable and that the causation of his injuries was questionable based on how the accident occurred. These arguments were unsuccessful.

Our client was a construction worker renovating a home. He fell on temporary wooden stairs that had not been properly placed and installed. The structure was swiftly moved prior to the accident. He was walking down the stairs to get to the restrooms – he only took one step onto before they shifted and fell straight down. It took the jury about an hour to determine the verdict, which was unanimous on all categories of damages. It was the highest construction accident verdict in the State of New York this year. !Image 2: Construction Accidents Icon.