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Elmira
Construction Accident Lawyers

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If You Were Hurt by a Fall or Fallen Object, Call Us

Extra Protection for Workers Hurt by Falls or Falling Objects

If you work construction in the Elmira area and you’re injured on the job, you have more rights to compensation for your injury than most other workers.

A workplace injury often means you can’t work — and your regular income stops. It leaves you hurting both physically and financially.

As a construction worker, you should know about the special protection New York State offers.

Most New Yorkers are limited to Workers’ Compensation as their only way to recover losses from a work-related injury.

Typically, they cannot file a lawsuit against their employer if they’re hurt on the job.

But New York State recognizes the special risks construction workers take on — and the important role you play in developing our New York communities.

So New York has special labor laws allowing you to sue for damages under certain circumstances if you’re hurt in a construction accident.

If you want to know your rights — and get maximum compensation for an injury that disrupts your life — the experienced construction accident lawyers at the Lachman & Gorton Law Office won’t charge anything to talk to you about your case.

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New York’s Scaffolding Law

Sometimes called New York’s “scaffolding law,” Labor Law Section 240 provides extra protection for workers involved with the “erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of a building or structure…”

The statute is sometimes described as protecting workers from “gravity-related” risks — dangers from falls for falling objects.

The statute requires an additional level of safety precautions and equipment to be used in some jobs, such as:

  • Scaffolding
  • Hoists
  • Ladders
  • Slings
  • Pulleys
  • Braces
  • Ropes

The Lachman & Gorton Law Office has experience with construction accidents covered by the scaffolding law and with other special protections for construction workers, such as those found in Labor Law Section 241.

Section 241 requires all construction workers be provided a “safe and reasonable job site” when they’re working at ground level, such as for excavation or demolition jobs.

Section 240 requires “reasonable care and duty to provide a safe place to work” most anywhere on a construction site.

The laws have some exceptions. For example, owners of single- or two-family dwellings do not have to comply unless they “control or supervise the work.”

Owners of a two-family residence renting out both units do have to comply.

To learn how you can get maximum compensation for your injury, contact us today.

You Face a Dangerous Job

Construction worker injuries and deaths have increased in recent years, while the number of safety inspections has dropped, The New York Daily News reported in January 2017.

Incidents across the state involving construction fatalities or injuries jumped from 128 in 2011 to 435 in 2015, a 40% increase.

And the newspaper reported during those same four years, safety inspections by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) dropped from 2,722 to 1,966, a decline of 28%.

It’s no surprise for most –– working in construction can be dangerous.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident in Binghamton, Elmira, Endicott or Rochester, you need to consult a lawyer with proven experience in construction accident law to protect you and your family –– such as the lawyers at the Lachman & Gorton Law Office.

Do I Have More Than a Worker’s Comp Case?

New York’s labor laws have many parts. Different circumstances decide what sort of compensation you may be entitled to receive following an accident.

Make sure you get everything available for you and your family. A lawyer who knows New York’s labor laws and its special provisions can help maximize your compensation — and therefore your recovery.

The Lachman & Gorton Law Office has years of experience helping New Yorkers injured while working construction.

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New York Scaffolding Law Visual Guide

National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives
United States District Court of Northern and Western Districts
Broome County Bar Association