$15 Million
As Seen In
Christopher J. Gorayeb and the firm have been featured in New York legal and community media covering construction accidents, worker safety, and Labor Law enforcement.
Results Our New York Construction Accident Lawyers Have Won for Injured Workers
Our construction accident practice is built on results. We are not a general-practice firm that handles construction cases on the side — serious New York Labor Law cases are the core of our work. A sample of named recoveries our attorneys have secured for injured New York construction workers:
Additional multi-million-dollar recoveries across scaffold collapses, ladder falls, crane incidents, roofing falls, falling-object strikes, and trench cave-ins across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, and Long Island.
*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; they show the level of advocacy and preparation every client receives.
How Gorayeb & Associates Helps After a NYC Construction Accident
Medical Care Coordination
We connect you with specialists who treat construction injuries every day and make sure every record is documented to support your claim.
Lost Wages & Income Support
We calculate current and future lost earnings, pursue wage-replacement benefits, and can help arrange pre-settlement advances when recovery is tight.
Full Claim Management
We handle medical expense claims, workers' compensation filings, third-party personal injury litigation, and communications with insurers.
Maximum Compensation
We pursue every available recovery under New York law — workers' comp, Labor Law § 240/§ 241(6)/§ 200 claims, and third-party negligence — at the same time.
You can also see how our attorneys manage each stage of a construction accident case, from treatment coordination to settlement or trial.
Why Injured Workers Choose Gorayeb & Associates
Our firm was built, from the beginning, on serious injured-worker cases. Construction has been the core of our practice since 1981. That focus, more than any marketing line, is the reason insurers know which New York construction accident firm will actually try the case.
- Over $2 billion recovered. More than 10,000 injured New Yorkers represented across more than 40 years of Labor Law practice.
- Construction is the core, not a side practice. Every attorney here works in the New York Labor Law world day in and day out. We know the Industrial Code, the Court of Appeals decisions, and the judges who hear these cases.
- Bilingual team. Our intake, paralegal, and attorney teams all work fluently in English and Spanish — so nothing is lost in translation during medical history, deposition prep, or settlement talks.
- Six New York office locations. Offices across Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island — in-person or virtual meetings, whichever works for the client.
- Contingency fee, no cost up front. Our fee comes out of the money we recover for you, not out of your pocket. Consultations are free and 100% confidential.
- Confidential, regardless of status. Calling our office does not alert ICE or any government agency. New York law gives undocumented construction workers the same rights as any other worker.
Understanding Your Rights After a Construction Accident in New York
A serious construction injury in New York can quickly turn into a wage problem, a paperwork problem, and a case that starts losing ground. Workers' compensation will cover part of your lost pay and medical care. In many New York construction cases, the same injury also supports a third-party personal injury claim that pays far more — for pain and suffering, full lost wages, and long-term medical costs.
The sooner the facts are protected, the stronger both claims stay. That is why our attorneys move early on the investigation, the Labor Law pleadings, and the medical file — before delay, pressure, or bad paperwork starts working against the client.
Most injured construction workers only hear about workers' compensation. That is the no-fault state system that pays for medical care and part of your lost wages. Under Workers' Compensation Law § 11, it blocks most lawsuits against your direct employer.
But if another party — a property owner, general contractor, subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, or other company on the job site — caused the accident, you can file a third-party personal injury case alongside the workers' compensation claim. Third-party cases recover money that workers' compensation never pays: full pain and suffering, full lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, disfigurement, and long-term medical care.
When a third-party case settles, the workers' compensation carrier has a lien on part of the recovery under Workers' Compensation Law § 29. Our attorneys negotiate that lien down whenever the law allows, so you keep the maximum share of what we recover.
Types of Construction Accidents We Handle in New York
Our New York construction accident lawyers handle the full range of serious construction site cases. Each category below is covered by a dedicated practice-area page with deeper detail.
Construction Accidents
Workplace Accidents
Personal Injury
Full and Fair Compensation After a New York Construction Accident
The compensation available in a New York construction accident case depends on how the injury happened, who is liable, and how well the early case is built. Our attorneys pursue every category of recovery that applies.
Through Workers' Compensation
- Hospital, ambulance, surgical, and prescription costs
- Medical devices, home care, and rehabilitation
- Temporary and permanent disability payments
- A portion of lost wages (two-thirds of average weekly wage, up to a state cap)
- Funeral expenses and death benefits for surviving family
Through a Third-Party Personal Injury Lawsuit
- Full past and future medical expenses — including surgery, rehabilitation, and long-term care
- Complete lost wages and full loss of future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering — physical and emotional
- Permanent disability and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium for a spouse
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family
The key advantage of a third-party case is that it covers pain and suffering and full lost wages — two categories workers' compensation does not provide. Running both tracks at the same time is how serious construction injuries in New York actually reach their full value.
Put Your Case in Experienced Hands
Gorayeb & Associates has recovered more than $2 billion for over 10,000 injured New Yorkers in 40+ years of construction-accident practice. Our fee comes out of the money we recover for you, not out of your pocket.
Free case review, 100% confidential. Available 24/7.
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Who Is Responsible for a Construction Accident in New York?
Establishing liability is the first real fight in a New York construction accident case. Under state law, more than one party can be held responsible for the same accident. Our attorneys investigate every possible source of liability before naming a defendant.
Contractors and subcontractors have the obligation to:
- Property owners. Have a non-delegable duty under Labor Law § 240(1) and § 241(6). They cannot escape liability by pointing at the general contractor or a subcontractor.
- General contractors. Responsible for site safety, OSHA compliance, Industrial Code compliance, and coordination of the trades on the job.
- Subcontractors. Can be liable under common-law negligence when their work or their equipment caused the hazardous condition.
- Construction managers. May be treated as statutory agents of the owner or GC if they had the authority to supervise and control the work.
- Architects and engineers. Can be liable if their designs created unsafe conditions or if they failed to flag hazards during supervision.
- Equipment manufacturers. Liable under product-liability law when a defective scaffold, crane, ladder, power tool, or safety device contributed to the accident.
- Property management and maintenance companies. Can share liability when their work or their failure to act allowed the hazard to develop.
Getting liability right is the difference between a workers' compensation check and a seven- or eight-figure recovery. Our attorneys work with construction safety experts, engineers, and accident-reconstruction specialists to build the strongest possible case.
Proving Liability After a New York Construction Accident
Most construction accident cases are won or lost in the first 90 days, on the facts the investigation is able to preserve. Our attorneys move fast to lock down the evidence that matters:
- Scene inspection and site photography before conditions change
- Department of Buildings permits, inspection reports, and violation history
- OSHA citations against every company on site
- Daily logs, toolbox-talk sign-ins, and safety meeting minutes
- Contracts and subcontracts — who owed what duty to whom
- Witness statements, obtained before memories shift
- Defective equipment preserved as evidence, not returned or destroyed
- Insurance policies and endorsements for every named defendant
- Depositions of the site-safety manager, project manager, and foreman
Once the record is built, we plead every viable theory — Labor Law § 240(1), § 241(6) with specific Industrial Code citations, § 200, common-law negligence, and product liability. Specific pleading matters; vague Industrial Code references get dismissed, and a dismissed claim is one less argument at trial.
New York Labor Law Protections for Construction Workers
New York has some of the strongest construction-worker protection laws in the country. Four statutes drive most construction accident recoveries in this state.
How New York Construction Accident Settlements Are Valued
Case value is not a guess. Experienced New York construction accident lawyers build a number by stacking the right evidence against the right damages categories and anchoring each category to real documents — medical records, wage records, expert reports, and comparable verdicts. Here is how we approach valuation at Gorayeb & Associates.
New York Construction Accident Statistics (2023–2024)
The official data on construction safety in New York comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the NYC Department of Buildings, and OSHA. These are the sources we cite in pleadings and at mediation — never vague "one recent year" numbers.
Common Injuries in New York Construction Accidents
The severity of the injury shapes every stage of a construction accident case — treatment, time off work, permanent disability, and final case value. We regularly handle catastrophic injuries with medical records that run thousands of pages.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussions. From falls, struck-by events, and crush accidents. These cases often need neuropsychological testing, life-care planning, and vocational experts.
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis. Tetraplegia and paraplegia from falls, trench collapses, and crush injuries. These cases carry the highest lifetime care costs.
- Back and neck injuries. Herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and fractures requiring fusion or artificial disc replacement.
- Amputations and crush injuries. Fingers, hands, feet, and limbs lost to machinery and falling objects. Prosthetics and long-term rehab drive case value.
- Fractures. Compound and comminuted fractures from falls and blunt trauma — often with hardware, multiple surgeries, and permanent range-of-motion loss.
- Burns and electrocutions. Thermal, chemical, and electrical burns from fires, flash explosions, and live wires. Severe burns often need skin grafts and reconstructive surgery.
- Shoulder and knee injuries. Rotator cuff tears, labral tears, meniscus tears, and ligament injuries — often career-ending for physical-trade workers.
- Vision and hearing loss. From flying debris, chemical splash, welding arc, and long-term noise exposure.
- Internal organ damage. Lacerated spleen, liver, and kidney injuries from crush events.
- PTSD. Post-traumatic stress after a fatal site accident, assault, or near-death event. New York compensates these claims when supported by treating-provider records.
Common Mistakes That Hurt New York Construction Accident Cases
The difference between a full recovery and a denial often comes down to decisions made in the first days after the accident. These are the mistakes we see most often in the cases that come to us after something went wrong elsewhere.
- Not reporting the accident in writing. A verbal "I told my foreman" is not enough. New York Workers' Compensation Law § 18 requires written notice to the employer within 30 days. A missing written report is the single most common reason a compensation claim gets challenged.
- Delaying medical treatment. Workers who "walk it off" for a week or two hand the defense a gap in the medical record. Insurance carriers argue that the injury happened somewhere else, or that the injury is less serious than the worker claims. Go to the ER or an authorized provider the same day, even for injuries that seem minor.
- Giving a recorded statement before talking to a lawyer. The adjuster is not on your side. A few words about how you "felt fine" that morning, or how you "wasn't really paying attention" to where the ladder was set up, can hurt the case for years. Nothing in New York law requires you to give a statement before consulting an attorney.
- Posting about the accident on social media. Defense firms pull Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and public records on every plaintiff. A single photo of an injured worker at a family event, out of context, gets turned into an exhibit on "malingering." Lock privacy settings, stop posting, and tell family not to tag you.
- Returning damaged equipment or clothing. A broken ladder, cracked harness, defective power tool, or torn hardhat is physical evidence. If it leaves the scene, spoliation becomes an issue and the defense uses it. Preserve it, photograph it, and hand it to your attorney.
- Missing workers' compensation deadlines. Written notice within 30 days; claim filed within 2 years. Miss either and the carrier raises a statute-of-limitations defense. These deadlines are strict — extensions are rare.
- Accepting the first settlement offer. The first offer is almost never the real number. Carriers open low on construction cases, especially when the injured worker is facing financial pressure. Once a release is signed, the case is over — there is no reopening it when the next surgery bill arrives.
- Trying to handle the case without a construction accident specialist. Labor Law §§ 240, 241(6), and 200 are a specialty. Firms that dabble in construction cases miss Industrial Code arguments, miss liable parties, and miss the evidence that drives case value. Construction is what we do every day, not a side practice.
Common Concerns From Injured Construction Workers
Every day we speak with injured workers carrying the same worries. These are the three we hear most often — and how we answer them.
Injured Without Papers? You Still Have Full Rights in New York
Under New York law, undocumented construction workers have the same legal rights as any other worker after a job-site injury. That includes the right to workers' compensation, the right to file a third-party personal injury case, and the full protection of Labor Law §§ 240, 241(6), and 200.
We understand that fear of deportation can keep injured workers away from the help they need. Our office is clear on this point: calling us does not alert ICE or any government agency. Consultations are 100% confidential. Our intake and attorney teams work in English and Spanish.
Do not let immigration concerns stop you from protecting your case. An unreported, undocumented serious injury loses value every day.
How Long Do You Have to File a New York Construction Accident Claim?
Every claim has a filing deadline under New York law. Missing the deadline usually means losing the right to recover, regardless of how strong the case would have been.
- Personal injury lawsuit: 3 years from the date of the accident (CPLR § 214).
- Workers' compensation: Notice to employer within 30 days (WCL § 18); claim filed within 2 years (WCL § 28).
- Wrongful death: 2 years from the date of death (EPTL § 5-4.1).
- Claims against a government entity: Notice of Claim within 90 days (GML § 50-e).
Evidence deteriorates, witnesses move on, and construction sites change fast. The sooner Gorayeb & Associates opens a file, the more of the case there is left to protect.
How Gorayeb & Associates Builds Construction Accident Cases
Every case we take gets the same methodical build. Fast investigation, careful pleading, aggressive discovery, and trial preparation from day one. Insurers know which firms settle at the first offer and which will make them spend a million dollars on defense before mediation. We are the second kind.
Frequently Asked Question About
New York Construction Accident Lawyers
About Our Founding Attorney, Christopher J. Gorayeb
Christopher J. Gorayeb founded this firm in 1981 to represent the construction workers, tradespeople, and immigrant families who keep New York building. His paternal great-grandmother came from Nicaragua in the early twentieth century; his early experience in construction work shaped how he understood the dangers on a job site and the gap between what the law promises and what insurers deliver.
My desire in choosing to study law was always to be able to help the most vulnerable people get justice and live a better life.
Christopher J. Gorayeb
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New York Office Locations — Serving All Five Boroughs and Long Island
Our main office is located at 100 William Street, 19th Floor, in Lower Manhattan. We also offer in-person and virtual appointments across the New York metro area:
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