Construction Site Injuries

Union ironworker requires back surgery after elevator mechanic suddenly stops elevator

Pre-trial settlement for union ironworker foreman who suffered debilitating back injuries when the construction elevator he was riding in came to a slamming stop when an elevator mechanic attempted to override the elevator’s electronic safety system without realizing that the elevator was in operation. The foreman was working at the Lowell Justice Center construction project at the time and was rendered totally disabled as a result of his injuries.

Construction contractor denies employment relationship, injured worker still prevails

Recovery for a construction laborer who was injured when the ladder he was working on collapsed and landed on top of him resulting in severe personal injuries, including a catastrophic ankle fracture. In an attempt to escape liability, the defendant construction contractor denied that he employed the worker. Through discovery during the lawsuit, SUGARMAN attorneys were able to prove that the contractor owed a legal responsibility to the worker, which was confirmed through the obtainment of a Court Order.

Construction Site Injuries

SUGARMAN’s personal injury lawyers have handled many different construction site accident cases. Cases have included scaffolding and staging collapses, wall and roof collapses, falls through unprotected floor openings, crane and aerial lift overturns, dropped loads, job site electrocutions, accidents from defective tools, and construction elevator and material lift accidents. We represent laborers, electricians, ironworkers, plumbers, masons, and all other construction trades in injury claims.

Wrongful death following crush injuries to forklift operator

Pre-trial settlement on behalf of children of a middle-aged temporary worker who was crushed to death between the forklift he was operating and a metal shelving unit in a South Shore warehouse where he had been assigned to work by his staffing agency.

Traumatic brain injury and eventual death following excavator accident

Settlement for the daughter of a construction worker who was struck by an excavator’s boom on a large development project in Everett. The excavator operator knew that the worker was in the area, but failed to look and make sure that the worker was a safe distance away before the operator moved the boom and violently struck him. The worker suffered catastrophic injuries that eventually caused his death 3 months later. In addition to a host of safety violations and unsafe practices, SUGARMAN attorneys were able to establish that the excavator operator had been previously fired for unsafe operation by the same company that later hired him to work on the development project. The case resolved shortly before trial.

Tradesman injured after fall in Watertown

Settlement prior to trial on behalf of a painter who fell from a ladder at a construction site in Massachusetts and suffered multiple fractures. SUGARMAN brought claims in Middlesex Superior Court against the general contractor on the project alleging that unsafe work practices and violation of construction standards caused the plaintiff’s fall and injuries.

Carpenter dies in fall at construction site

Settlement of wrongful death claims reached with a general contractor for worker’s death due to a fall in an unguarded area of residential home construction project.

Settlement for construction worker injured after scaffolding fall

SUGARMAN’s attorneys were able to obtain a settlement just before trial on behalf of a worker who fell over 6 feet from scaffolding at a construction site and suffered a severe ankle fracture. The case was brought against the contractor who constructed and supplied the scaffolding, but failed to attach the safety railings and failed to provide the worker with required fall protection. In addition to the settlement of the personal injury claim, SUGARMAN’s attorneys were also able to negotiate a favorable resolution of the client’s workers’ compensation lien in order to maximize the client’s recovery.

Craneway collapse at Fore River Shipyard

Settlement of wrongful death lawsuit reached for the four young children of a construction worker who was killed when a massive steel craneway in Quincy collapsed. The general contractor failed to develop an engineering or demolition plan for the dismantling of the craneway and made cuts that left a portion of it a free-standing structure without securing it or warning any of the workers at the site of the danger posed by the free-standing structure.

Ironworker falls 30 feet from Boston high-rise

Settlement received for multiple fractures to ironworker who fell while erecting the steel frame at construction site of a new Boston high-rise. General contractor failed to require 100% fall protection.

Construction site accident – Worker injured by concrete

Slab of concrete fell from ceiling of a building under construction causing serious injury to plaintiff. The contractor, mechanical engineer, and architect denied responsibility for locating and securing the slab. By starting with the original building plans from the 1900’s and working forward to the current renovations, SUGARMAN lawyers were able to prove the responsibility that each defendant had in causing the accident. The plaintiff recovered personal injury settlements from all defendants.

Severe injuries sustained by construction worker in fall on jobsite

Settlement in personal injury case for 39-year-old construction worker, who fell 15 feet to the ground in Norwell, Massachusetts while working on the roof of the defendant general contractor’s property. The construction worker sustained bilateral wrist fractures requiring multiple surgeries, and facial lacerations.

Jury verdict for worker who fell through unguarded opening at construction site

A Middlesex County jury returned a 7-figure verdict on behalf of worker injured after falling more than 20 feet through an unguarded opening on a construction project at the Natick Mall. The defendant general contractor had claimed that the opening had been guarded and that the plaintiff had somehow gained access through it without the general contractor’s knowledge. Through painstaking investigation and work immediately following the accident, Sugarman’s attorneys were able to prove to the jury at trial that the general contractor had made up the story and had added guarding after the accident. The case was one of 10 largest jury verdicts reported in Massachusetts in 2011.

Construction site accident injures 4 workers

Settlement for 4 workers who were lifting a second floor gable wall into place by hand on a construction site in Wakefield, MA when the wall became too heavy and collapsed on them. The workers suffered severe orthopedic and back injuries. SUGARMAN’s personal injury attorneys resolved the case just before trial against the general contractor who negligently hired subcontractors and failed to provide proper safety oversight on the job.

Construction worker struck by debris

Significant recovery in personal injury claim for union carpenter struck on the head by discarded debris at a hospital construction site. Worker suffered a neck fracture requiring surgical fusion and a significant closed head injury.

Union tunnel worker injured on job

Settlement for a worker who was injured when an auger hooked piece of rebar struck the worker in his leg, causing a tibial plateau fracture. The settlement was reached with the auger operator’s employer.

Lang v. Edward J. Lamothe Co., 20 Mass. App. Ct. 231 (1985)

The defendant did not pay workers’ compensation benefits to the plaintiff, and as a result, did not receive the benefit of the workers’ compensation exemption of employers from tort liability.

Hemric v. Reed & Prince Mfg. Co., 575 F. Supp. 254 (D. Mass. 1983), aff’d, 739 F.2d 1 (1st Cir. 1984)

The statue of limitations is a matter of procedure governed by the law of the forum state.