In a case involving a construction worker severely injured after falling on the worksite, our firm was able to negotiate a $4.5 million settlement with the insurance company before the case reached the point of a trial. Our client, a male construction worker in New York, suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling from a scaffold at a height of approximately two stories.
While investigating the circumstances of the accident, our personal injury attorneys found that the worker had not been provided with the required safety equipment pertinent to his assigned task. The large settlement was agreed to after evidence revealed the accident could have been significantly less damaging or altogether prevented had the construction supervisors been more careful in equipping their employees with the tools he needed to work safely.
Scaffolds are the wooden platforms that are often used to help workers maneuver the perimeter of buildings that are under construction. Unlike ladders, scaffolds allow workers to access high points of the structure while maintaining the ability to move and walk as if they were standing on ground-level. Unfortunately, scaffolds are notorious for being involved in many types of accidents. In this particular case, our client was not given the safety equipment he needed at the height at which he was working.
The size of the settlement was due to both the severity of our client’s injuries and the degree of negligence on the part of his employers. Traumatic brain injury has devastating effects on an individual’s ability to have a full and happy life. Our client suffered injuries that affect his ability to support himself and his family in the future, to enjoy the pleasures of life as were previously available to him and his independence as a healthy working individual. The accident was also very costly upfront in terms of medical expenses for immediate treatment, hospitalization, and prescribed medication. Future expenses were also taken into account when negotiating this deal, particularly any future medical treatment concerning the brain injury and the lost wages due to his inability to work for income during recovery.
