Injuries at Work

We represent workers, subcontractors and general contractors injured on the job because proper safety precautions were not taken, the right equipment was not available, or a job was rushed to completion without regard to a worker’s health and welfare.

Case Summaries

Injury Related To Poor Work Environment Proven
Our client worked for a building manager in a high-rise. One of his duties was to change the light bulbs that illuminated the lobby, a dirty, difficult job that most employees avoided. It was while doing this in a severely cramped crawlspace above the ceiling that he got stuck and severely damaged discs in his neck. He was so jammed in the enclosed area that he was unable even to reach his radio and call for help. The owner of the high-rise argued that our client had been careless, but we were able to demonstrate that the light fixtures were not installed to code, which required more space for them to be serviced, and that the crawlspace didn’t provide a man of average size nearly enough room to do the required work. Further, the high-rise owner failed to provide the building manager with better equipment which would have allowed the bulbs to be changed from below by way of a scissors lift. The case settled favorably for our client providing him compensation for the ongoing pain he suffered.

Police Officer On Detail Wins Judgment
Our client was a police officer on detail duty directing traffic around a utilities repairman operating a bucket truck. The repair work typically called for two men, one serving as assistant and lookout and the other in the bucket overhead, but in this instance there was only one worker. Consequently, the repairman continually lowered and raised the bucket to retrieve tools from his truck. Our client was busy directing traffic and directing young children to the sidewalk in what was a very narrow roadway next to an elementary school, when the descending bucket struck him on the head.

The defense based its case on the fact that our client’s x-rays and MRIs were negative, showing there was no brain damage. We brought in witnesses to demonstrate that our client was well-known for his competency and his work ethic. We showed that he was the biggest wage-earner in his department and its senior officer, and that his colleagues looked on him with affection and admiration. We also called his primary care doctor, who testified that our client was the most stubborn patient he had, insisting on returning to work no matter how sick he might be. We showed that the accident had left him unable to focus or to make the snap judgments necessary for his work. The jury found for our client.