Queens Construction Accident Lawyer

New York has some of the strongest worker protection laws in the country. Three key statutes govern most construction accident claims:

Labor Law Section 240(1) (The Scaffold Law): Requires certain property owners, contractors, and their agents to provide appropriate safety devices to protect workers from qualifying elevation-related hazards during covered work. If a violation of the statute is a proximate cause of a worker's injury, the responsible parties may be held liable. A worker's comparative negligence generally is not a defense to a valid Section 240(1) claim, although liability does not apply when the worker's conduct was the sole proximate cause of the accident.

Labor Law Section 241(6): Requires owners and contractors to provide reasonable and adequate protection and safety for workers involved in construction, excavation, and demolition. A Section 241(6) claim generally requires showing that an applicable, sufficiently specific New York Industrial Code regulation was violated and that the violation was a proximate cause of the worker's injury.

Labor Law Section 200: Codifies the general duty of owners and general contractors to provide workers with a reasonably safe place to work. Liability depends on how the accident occurred. When an injury results from the methods or manner of the work, liability may depend on whether the defendant had authority to supervise or control that work. When an injury results from a dangerous property condition, liability may depend on whether the defendant created the condition or had actual or constructive notice of it.

Understanding which law applies to your situation is critical. Our construction accident lawyers in Queens know how to identify every applicable protection and build the strongest possible case on your behalf.

Queens is one of New York City's most active construction markets, with high-rise residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects underway across the borough. That level of activity creates real risk when safety standards slip. Common causes of construction accidents we handle include:

• Falls from scaffolding, ladders, and elevated platforms
• Being struck by falling tools, debris, or materials
• Electrocution from exposed wiring or faulty equipment
• Trench collapses and excavation accidents
• Equipment malfunctions and defective machinery
• Crane accidents and rigging failures
• Inadequate safety training or supervision
• Failure to provide required personal protective equipment

When any of these situations results from a contractor's or property owner's negligence, injured workers have the right to pursue compensation beyond what workers' compensation alone provides. As construction accident lawyers Queens residents trust, our legal team will investigate every angle to determine exactly what happened and who can be held accountable.

Construction accidents frequently cause severe, life-altering injuries. Workers we represent have suffered:

• Traumatic brain injuries from falls and struck-by incidents
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Broken bones and crush injuries
• Burns from electrical accidents or fires
• Internal organ damage
• Loss of limbs or permanent disfigurement
• Hearing and vision loss
• Psychological trauma including PTSD
• Fatal injuries resulting in wrongful death

Some of these injuries require years of medical treatment and rehabilitation. Others result in permanent disability that ends a career and changes a family's financial future entirely. Our Queens construction accident lawyers work to ensure the full scope of that impact is reflected in your claim.

Construction workers in Queens have more legal options than many realize. Workers' compensation provides immediate coverage for medical expenses and a portion of lost wages without requiring proof of fault. But it doesn't cover everything.

However, workers' comp has real limitations. It does not compensate for pain and suffering or the full measure of long-term disability. And when New York's Labor Laws apply, injured workers may have the right to file a separate personal injury lawsuit against the contractor, property owner, or another third party.

This distinction matters enormously. A third-party lawsuit can recover far more than workers' comp alone, including full lost wages, pain and suffering, and long-term care costs. Our legal team will evaluate your situation from every angle to identify all available paths to compensation.

A successful construction accident claim can help you recover compensation for:

• Medical expenses and future treatment costs
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and psychological trauma
• Long-term disability and rehabilitation costs
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful death damages if a family member was killed on the job

If a construction accident resulted in a fatality, surviving family members may have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim. Our New York wrongful death lawyers handle these cases with the same commitment to full compensation.

Our legal team gathers accident reports, OSHA records, site inspection reports, photographs, witness statements, and expert testimony to build the strongest possible case. We know contractors and insurance companies will work to limit what they pay. We work to make sure that doesn't happen.

Ward Law serves Queens construction workers and their families with bilingual legal representation in English and Spanish. We know that many construction workers in Queens come from immigrant communities and may feel uncertain about their legal rights. Our firm was built to serve exactly those families — with compassion, clarity, and a commitment to fighting for justice at every step.

We handle every case on a contingency fee basis, so there is no financial risk to seeking help. Our attorneys are available around the clock and offer a free consultation.

Ward Law has recovered nearly $1 billion in compensation for injury victims across New York and beyond. We've built our firm on the belief that justice belongs to everyone, and we bring that commitment to every construction accident case we handle.