Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Construction Accident

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Bronx Building Collapse. Twitter post from the Bronx Borough PresidentA partial building collapse in the Bronx on Monday, January 12, 2026, prompted an emergency response from city officials and renewed scrutiny of demolition safety practices. According to authorities, the incident occurred at 57 East Burnside Avenue, near Walton Avenue, when part of a building wall gave way and collapsed onto scaffolding and the street below. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Emergency crews from the Fire Department of the City of New York responded just before 3:00 p.m. after receiving reports of the collapse. Photographs shared by local officials showed debris scattered across the sidewalk and roadway, underscoring how close this incident came to causing serious harm.

Demolition Site Under Active Violations

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Snow stormThe weeks immediately following the holidays are a peak period for personal injury claims in New York. As normal routines resume, hazardous winter conditions, increased traffic, and post-holiday fatigue combine to create a surge in preventable accidents. January consistently sees a rise in claims tied to negligence that property owners, drivers, and employers are legally required to prevent.

Below are the most common types of personal injury claims filed after the holidays.

Slip-and-Fall Accidents on Snow and Ice

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Location of the fatal Construction Accident at_Hudson_YardsBy the NYC Construction Attorneys at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf

Recently, a fellow construction worker lost his life on a major New York City tunnel project. The death of 52-year-old Jorge Sanchez, who reportedly had worked a 35-hour shift just days before his fatal fall, serves as a stark reminder of how speed, pressure and unsafe conditions converge in the construction industry.

According to his co-worker and close friend, the project had been running behind schedule, and management demanded extended shifts to “catch up”. Sanchez and the co-worker both reported working extremely long hours over the prior weeks.

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The building where the deadly collapse occuredA fatal construction accident in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, has placed the spotlight squarely on the property owner’s failure to maintain a safe structure. Following the collapse of a parapet wall that killed a 58-year-old worker, New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) inspectors documented severe façade defects at the one-story garage located at 113 Sunnyside Avenue.

The Deadly Collapse

The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, when the worker was struck in the back by a collapsing parapet wall while on the roof of the garage, which shares a lot with a six-story building at 224 Highland Boulevard. Emergency responders removed him from the roof using an aerial ladder, but he was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital.

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Earth-Tech-Recycling-wherre-the-injuries-occuredTwo men were injured Monday morning when an industrial conveyor belt collapsed at Earth Tech Recycling in Oceanside, Long Island. Emergency responders from Nassau County rescued both victims, ages 62 and 68, after they became trapped beneath the heavy machinery.

The 62-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by the Oceanside Fire Department to a nearby hospital. The 68-year-old man suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to a trauma center for emergency treatment.

Industrial Accidents and Personal Injury Law

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NYC construction worker walletBy the NYC Construction Accident Lawyers at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf

As of July 1, 2025, construction workers across New York City must carry the new Worker Wallet Card to perform certain specialized tasks or operate designated equipment. This change impacts workers, forepersons, and contractors citywide, with significant implications for both safety compliance and potential legal liability in the event of an accident.

How the Worker Wallet Card Came About

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construction workers must be protectedConstruction employers have a legal duty to provide a safe workplace under both federal OSHA regulations and state workplace safety laws. This duty includes taking reasonable steps to prevent heat illness by providing water, shade, rest breaks, training, and emergency response plans.

If your employer fails in these duties and you suffer a heat illness injury, you may be entitled to:

  • Workers’ Compensation Benefits: These benefits typically cover medical treatment costs, rehabilitation expenses, and a portion of lost wages. You generally cannot sue your employer outside of workers’ compensation, but benefits should adequately cover your injury-related losses.

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NYC construction workers have a high risk of fatalitiesBy our New York Construction Accident Lawyers

As temperatures continue to rise during the summer months, construction workers face growing risks of heat-related illness and injury on the job. According to OSHA, employers are legally responsible for providing a workplace that is free of known safety and health hazards—including heat-related hazards. Failing to do so could result in serious harm to workers and legal liability for construction companies.

OSHA’s 2022 National Emphasis Program on Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards, along with CPWR’s Heat Illness Prevention (HIP) checklist, provides a clear framework that construction employers should be following. Yet too often, we see workers injured or even killed by preventable heat-related illnesses because basic safety measures were not in place.

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construction worker on scaffoldingA new bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., aims to exempt federally funded projects in New York from the protections of Labor Law 240—known as the Scaffold Law. As construction accident attorneys who have represented injured workers for decades, we strongly oppose this proposal. The Scaffold Law, along with Labor Law 241, has played a critical role in holding employers accountable and preventing fatal falls on worksites across the state.

Labor Law 240: A Life-Saving Measure, Not a Legal Burden

Labor Law 240 places strict liability on owners and contractors for elevation-related injuries, ensuring that those with control over safety are held responsible when preventable accidents occur. This legal framework has created powerful incentives for construction firms to invest in life-saving measures like guardrails, scaffolds, and harnesses.

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Car Accident NYAt Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, our New York personal injury attorneys have represented victims of negligence in New York for more than 100 years. Each June, we see a seasonal rise in serious personal injury claims across the five boroughs. Below are the most common types of cases we handle this time of year—and what you should know if you or a loved one has been injured.


1. Car Accident Claims

Traffic congestion increases significantly in the summer, and with it, so do accidents. Many of the cases we handle involve serious injuries caused by speeding, distracted driving, or failure to yield. We have obtained some of the highest verdicts and settlements in New York for motor vehicle accident victims, including an $85 million jury verdict for a pedestrian struck by a sightseeing bus in Manhattan.