$1,625,000 Settlement for Broken Ribs and Back Injuries After Work Accident
In a New York case, a 49-year-old worker was employed as a glass subcontractor for a construction project at a Queens mall. He was using an A-frame ladder when the ladder slid out from under him, causing him to fall and suffer serious injuries, including bulging and herniated discs and 5 fractured ribs. Represented by the Law Firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy, he received a $1,625,000 settlement.
Court and County
Suffolk County Supreme Court
Plaintiff Description
Our client was 49 years old and working as a glazer and mechanic when the accident occurred.
Description of Case
This construction accident occurred at a mall in Queens, where a new interior glass elevator was being installed as part of a larger renovation project. Our client was employed by the glass subcontractor.
When the accident occurred, our client was using an A-frame ladder supplied by the general contractor to remove tape and do finishing work. He was unable to open the ladder properly due to an interior handrail and the confined working space, however, and had to lean it in a closed position against the elevator shaft. Our client began to ascend the ladder, and was on the second rung, when the ladder slid out from under him. He fell, struck his left side on the handrail, and then fell onto his back to the ground below.
Our client alleged violations of New York State Labor Laws 240(1) and 241(6) on the grounds that the ladder was not properly secured and that it was not the correct device for the task he had been assigned. The Defendants, which included the owner of the mall, the general contractor, and the elevator subcontractor, argued that the ladder had been set up improperly and was not defective, and thus our client was the sole proximate cause of the accident.
Our client and the Defendants submitted motions for summary judgment regarding liability, and both motions were still pending at the time this case settled.
Injuries
Our client felt immediate pain on his left side, neck and lower back. Emergency services soon arrived and brought him to the emergency room at Nassau University Hospital at Manhasset. After three days, he was discharged with a diagnosis of 5 fractured ribs.
Shortly after he was discharged, our client began to experience significant pain in his neck and lower back, for which he began extensive conservative treatment. He was referred to a spinal specialist and diagnosed with the following injuries:
- L4/5 disc bulge
- L5/S1 posterior disc herniation impressing the ventral thecal sac
- C6/7 posterior disc bulge
To treat the extensive back injuries he suffered, our client ultimately required spinal fusion surgery at both L4-5 and C6-7. He made a claim for future medical expenses.
The Defendants argued that our client’s spinal injuries were not a result of his fall, that the injuries he had did not require surgical intervention, and that he could return to work and engage in all his previous activities without any restrictions.
Settlement Amount
$1,625,000
Handling Attorneys
This matter was handled by Michael J. Hurwitz and Stephen J. Murphy.
Skilled Litigation for Personal Injury Victims
If you suffered multiple fractures, back injuries, or other serious harm after a car crash, work-related accident, slip and fall, or other accident, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at Block O’Toole & Murphy are skilled in litigating personal injury lawsuits for clients who suffered serious injuries as a result of another party’s negligence.
Select results for clients who suffered broken ribs and other injuries include:
- $4,650,000 settlement for a laborer who suffered multiple broken ribs as well as shoulder and back injuries after a work-related accident in a warehouse
- $3,925,000 settlement in a train and truck collision case for a client who suffered multiple fractures to his ribs, pelvis, and arms, requiring multiple surgeries
- $3,000,000 settlement in an auto accident case for a woman who suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to all eleven of her ribs on the left side
- $2,800,000 settlement for a pedestrian who suffered multiple fractures, including broken ribs, after he was hit by a vehicle
- $1,350,000 settlement for a woman who was hit by a school bus while she was walking across the street within the crosswalk, resulting in three fractured ribs and a herniated disc
To receive a free legal consultation, please call 212-736-5300 to speak with a Block O’Toole & Murphy attorney today. We serve injury victims in New York and New Jersey.