$8,000,000 SETTLEMENT

NYC Construction Accident — Falling Pulley Wheel | Head, Neck & Brain Injuries

A construction worker at a New York City job site suffered life-altering injuries when an improperly secured pulley wheel detached from its support arm and plummeted 15 stories — striking him in the head and right shoulder. Despite wearing his mandated hard hat, our client sustained catastrophic injuries to his brain, skull, cervical and lumbar spine, and right shoulder that required multiple surgeries and left him with permanent neurological damage.

The defendants attempted to shift blame onto our client, arguing that he failed to follow his supervisor’s safety instructions. Chaikin Trial Group rejected that position, fought for a court ruling placing 100% of the fault on the defendants, and — 30 days before trial — achieved a mediated settlement of $8,000,000 for our client.

Case at a Glance

Settlement Amount	$8,000,000
Client	Construction Worker, NYC Job Site
Incident Year	2019
Mechanism of Injury	15-Story Pulley Wheel Fall Striking Head & Shoulder
Primary Injuries	Traumatic Brain Injury, Skull Fracture, Craniotomy, Cervical/Lumbar Herniated Discs, Right Shoulder Tendinopathy
Defendants’ Defense	Contributory Negligence — Plaintiff Allegedly Ignored Safety Instructions
Court Ruling	100% Liability Against Defendants (Summary Judgment on Liability)
Resolution Method	Mediation Settlement, 30 Days Before Trial
Laws Applied	NY Labor Law § 200, § 240, § 241(6)
Attorney	Ian M. Chaikin, Esq.

How the Accident Happened

Our client was performing his assigned work duties on a New York City construction site when a pulley wheel — which had not been properly secured to its support arm — became detached and fell approximately 15 stories. The falling equipment struck our client directly in the head and right shoulder. While his mandated hard hat provided some protection, the sheer force of an unsecured pulley falling from 15 floors above caused injuries that no safety equipment alone could prevent.

This type of accident falls squarely within the protections afforded by New York Labor Law Section 240, commonly known as the Scaffold Law. That statute holds property owners and general contractors strictly liable for gravity-related accidents — including objects falling and striking workers below — when they fail to provide adequate safety measures to protect workers from falling objects.

New York Labor Law Section 241-6 further obligated the defendants to ensure a safe construction environment with proper equipment and safety protocols. The failure to properly secure the pulley wheel was a direct and foreseeable violation of those statutory obligations.

Learn more about how we handle these cases: New York Construction Accident Lawyer

Injuries Sustained

Our client suffered some of the most serious injuries a construction accident can produce. The following is a summary of the documented medical conditions resulting from this accident:

Traumatic Brain Injury & Skull Fracture

Our client sustained a markedly comminuted and depressed calvarial fracture of the right frontal calvarium extending along the right coronal suture and into the temporal bone. Imaging confirmed subarachnoid hemorrhage, a subdural hematoma, and an early epidural hematoma. Our client required an emergency craniotomy.

Follow-up MRI revealed leukoencephalomalacia measuring 5.1 cm x 4.3 cm in the right frontal lobe, bilateral coup/contrecoup shearing injuries at the gray-white matter interface (at least 40 lesions per side), and whole-brain analysis demonstrating reductions in fractional anisotropy consistent with white matter injury and traumatic brain injury.

Cervical Spine — Herniated Discs & ACDF Surgery

MRI of the cervical spine revealed disc herniations at C4/5, C5/6, and C6/7, with central canal stenosis and cord contact at multiple levels. Our client experienced severe radiating pain, headaches, stiffness, and neurological symptoms requiring an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery.

Lumbar Spine — Herniated Discs & Laminectomy

Lumbar MRI demonstrated a left foraminal L3-4 disc herniation with compression of the left L3 nerve root, bulging discs at L4-5 and L5-S1 with stenosis, and straightening of the normal lumbar lordosis consistent with post-traumatic muscle spasm. Our client required a laminectomy.

Right Shoulder — Supraspinatus Tendinopathy & Bursitis

MRI of the right shoulder confirmed supraspinatus tendinopathy extending toward its humeral attachment, subscapularis tendinopathy, biceps tenosynovitis, subacromial bursitis, and hypertrophic acromioclavicular joint changes with volume loss and fatty atrophy of the deltoid.

Right Wrist & Hand

Additional imaging revealed a ganglion cyst at the volar radius/scaphoid joint, extensor carpi ulnaris tendinosis, and cartilage loss at the triquetrum-hamate articulation. Prior imaging showed marrow edema and cystic change at the capitate/trapezoid joint consistent with traumatic injury.

Summary of Surgical Interventions

Craniotomy — (right frontal, for subdural hematoma and skull fracture)

Craniectomy & Cranioplasty — Right frontal (status post craniotomy)

ACDF — Anterior Cervical Discectomy & Fusion

Lumbar Laminectomy

Epidural Steroid Injection (Lumbar)

How Chaikin Trial Group Won

Securing 100% Liability — Before Trial

From day one, the defendants in this case pursued an aggressive blame-shifting strategy: they claimed our client had ignored his supervisor’s safety instructions and was therefore responsible for his own injuries. This is a tactic defense teams frequently deploy in construction cases to reduce or eliminate a defendant’s exposure.

Chaikin Trial Group refused to accept this narrative. Through thorough investigation, expert analysis, and aggressive motion practice, we obtained a court ruling establishing that the defendants bore 100% of the fault for the accident. This liability ruling removed the primary weapon from the defendants’ arsenal and created enormous pressure for a full and fair settlement.

Applying New York Labor Law

This case was litigated under New York’s robust construction worker protections. Labor Law Section 240 — the Scaffold Law — imposes strict liability on owners and general contractors for gravity-related accidents where an object falls and strikes a worker. No amount of comparative fault on the worker’s part can defeat this liability once established, which is why obtaining that ruling was critical.

Labor Law Section 241-6 reinforced the defendants’ obligation to provide a safe worksite with properly secured equipment. Together, these statutes gave us the legal framework to hold the defendants fully accountable.

30 Days Before Trial: $8,000,000

As the trial date approached, Chaikin Trial Group had built an airtight case: liability established as a matter of law, documented catastrophic injuries supported by multiple surgeries and years of imaging, and a client whose life had been permanently altered by the defendants’ negligence. At mediation, 30 days before the scheduled trial, the case resolved for $8,000,000.

This result reflects not only the severity of our client’s injuries but also the power of thorough trial preparation — because insurance companies pay more when they know a firm is truly ready to go to trial.

Have questions about your rights after a construction accident? Read our Construction Accident FAQs or visit our Construction Accident Practice Page.

What This Settlement Means for Injured Construction Workers

This $8,000,000 result sends a clear message: New York construction workers have powerful legal rights, and when those rights are violated, the full force of the law can deliver justice — even against well-funded corporate defendants who attempt to blame the victim.

If you were injured on a New York City or Long Island construction site, you may have claims under multiple statutes, and your recovery is not limited to workers’ compensation alone. Third-party personal injury claims can pursue damages that workers’ compensation does not cover, including pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, and full lost earnings.

Damages Available in Construction Accident Cases

Past and future medical expenses (surgeries, therapy, specialist care)
Past and future lost wages and loss of earning capacity
Pain and suffering — physical and emotional
Permanent disability and disfigurement
Loss of enjoyment of life
Neurological and cognitive impairment

Other Construction Accident Results from Chaikin Trial Group

This case is part of a long track record of significant construction accident recoveries. See additional results below:

$5,450,000 — Non-union laborer injured when a temporary floor collapsed during a condo-conversion project in NYC. Summary judgment on liability. View All Results

$3,175,000 — Laborer struck by a 200-pound cleaning machine on a staircase during a post-fire renovation. Summary judgment on liability despite defense arguments that Labor Law did not apply. View All Results

View Our Full Verdicts & Settlements Page | Additional Case Results

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About Chaikin Trial Group

Chaikin Trial Group is a premier personal injury law firm representing injured workers and accident victims throughout New York City, Long Island, and the five boroughs. Founded by Ian M. Chaikin, Esq., the firm has secured over $100 million in verdicts and settlements for clients across a wide range of serious injury cases.

The firm’s approach is simple: every case is prepared as if it will go to trial. That commitment — combined with aggressive motion practice, top experts, and an unwillingness to accept lowball offers — is why Chaikin Trial Group consistently delivers results that other firms cannot.