$28.3 Million Settlement : Workplace Accident

In 1993, a forty-four year old roofer was an employee of a roofing subcontractor replacing the roof on a church in the City of Poughkeepsie. The general contractor failed to provide a scissor lift so the worker could do the work safely in violation of the New York Labor Law Section 240. While performing his job, the roofer lost his balance and fell 18 feet to the hard ground below. The construction worker suffered a badly broken heel bone known as the calcaneus. After five surgeries, the heel and ankle had to be fused. Even though our client lived in Ulster County, the lawsuit was brought in Dutchess County because that is where the event happened. After four years of litigation, the insurance company offered only $2,500,000. Managing Partner Andrew Finkelstein negotiated directly with the insurance company and, after discussing with our client, advised he would not accept anything less than $7,000,000. After a full trial, the Dutchess County jury issued a unanimous verdict for $28,300,000 in favor of the roofer.