Stanley Law Offices has fought for construction accident victims across Upstate New York for over 45 years from five office locations. Every region has different courts, different defense tactics, and different case pressures. Choose your location below to see how we handle claims in your area.
Our home base for 45 years. Construction accident cases in Syracuse move through Onondaga County Supreme Court, where our attorneys have fought Labor Law claims and recovered millions for injured workers in this courthouse alone. Whether you were hurt on a commercial job site, a road construction project, or a private development, we know how these cases are won here.
Construction sites in Broome County often involve multiple contractors, subcontractors, and site owners, and more than one party may be liable for your injury. Missing one can significantly reduce the value of your claim. We identify every responsible party and pursue them through Broome County Supreme Court.
Jefferson County has active construction around Fort Drum and the surrounding region, and job site injuries here often involve complex questions about who controlled the work site. When liability is disputed, fast evidence collection matters before the scene changes. We move on Watertown-area construction accident cases immediately – call us 24/7.
Monroe County sees significant construction activity across commercial and residential developments, and defense firms here follow predictable tactics in disputed job site injury claims. Our attorneys know how those cases are built under New York Labor Law and how to respond before you lose ground.
Construction accident cases in Otsego County often involve multiple contractors and subcontractors, and when an injury occurs, evidence from the site can disappear quickly once work resumes. We move early to document conditions and preserve the facts before they’re gone.
Our attorneys handle construction accident cases across Upstate New York regardless of office proximity. If you were injured on a construction site or workplace anywhere in the region, call us – we’ll tell you whether we can take your case and what comes next.
Get Answers About Your Construction Accident Case
No fee unless we win · Available 24/7
At Stanley Law Offices, our Upstate New York construction accident lawyers, including firm founder and Board Certified civil trial lawyer Joe Stanley, help injured workers protect evidence, avoid costly mistakes, and act before deadlines close off their options. As trusted personal injury attorneys in Upstate NY, we represent workers in Syracuse, Rochester, Watertown, Oneonta, and Binghamton, and we evaluate both workers’ compensation claims and third-party claims under New York labor laws.
- 45+ years fighting for the injured
- 4.7 rating across 900+ verified reviews
- Millions recovered in verdicts & settlements every year
- Available 24/7
- No recovery, no fee
Call 1-800-608-3333 or schedule your free consultation.
What to Do After a Construction Accident in Upstate New York
What you do in the hours after a construction accident directly affects your ability to recover compensation. Evidence disappears fast on active job sites, and insurance carriers for property owners and general contractors begin building their defense immediately.
- Get medical care the same day. Even if you feel capable of continuing, delayed treatment gives insurers grounds to dispute injury severity and deny claims. Some injuries, including spinal and head trauma, do not fully manifest until hours or days later.
- Report the accident to your employer in writing. New York Workers’ Compensation Law requires you to notify your employer within 30 days of the accident. Keep a copy of everything. For a full walkthrough of what forms to file and when, see our guide to filing a construction accident report in New York.
- Document the scene. Photograph the site conditions, the equipment involved, any missing or damaged safety gear, and your visible injuries before conditions change or equipment is removed.
- Do not give a recorded statement. Adjusters for the general contractor, property owner, or their insurers may contact you quickly. You are not required to provide a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney.
- Preserve witness information. Get names and contact details for coworkers and anyone else who saw what happened. Witnesses relocate. Job sites move on.
Call Stanley Law Offices immediately. We act within hours to send spoliation letters, secure site photographs, equipment records, and inspection history. Call 1-800-608-3333 for a free case review.
New York Labor Laws Protecting Construction Workers
New York has several labor statutes designed to make construction work safer. These laws apply statewide, whether the project is a Syracuse University renovation, the Mill Street Bridge in Watertown, or a commercial build in Rochester. Understanding these statutes helps injured workers identify who may be responsible for their injuries.
- Labor Law 240 (Scaffold Law): This law protects workers injured in elevation-related work, including falls from ladders, scaffolds, roofs, and other height-related tasks. Owners, general contractors, and their agents must provide proper safety equipment, such as safe ladders, scaffolds, hoists, and fall protection. If a worker is injured because required equipment was missing or failed, this law may support a strong third-party claim outside workers’ compensation.
- Labor Law 241(6): This law requires owners and general contractors to follow specific safety rules in the New York Industrial Code, including rules on guardrails, hoisting, tools, and site conditions. To bring a claim, the injured worker usually must show that a specific safety rule was violated and that the violation caused the injury. This often applies in construction, demolition, and excavation cases.
- Labor Law 200: This is New York’s general workplace safety law. It requires owners and contractors to provide reasonable and adequate protection for workers. These claims often involve unsafe site conditions or unsafe work methods, such as tripping hazards, unsecured openings, or dangerous instructions. Liability usually depends on whether the responsible party controlled the work or knew about the hazard.
If you were injured on a construction site, speak with an Upstate New York construction accident attorneybefore giving recorded statements or accepting a quick settlement.
Common Construction Accidents on Job Sites
Even when workers follow safety rules, construction sites remain hazardous. Accidents often fall into predictable categories, many of which correspond to OSHA’s “Fatal Four” hazards: falls, struck-by incidents, caught-in/between accidents, and electrocutions.
At Stanley Law Offices, we frequently handle claims involving:
- Falls from scaffolds, ladders, and roofs: Falls are what Labor Law 240 was built to address. Scaffold collapses and unsecured ladder work are among the most frequent causes of serious injury claims we handle across Upstate New York. A missing harness on a Syracuse commercial build or an unsecured plank on a Rochester renovation produces the same catastrophic result.
- Struck‑by incidents: Falling tools, materials, and debris injure workers below. Even with a hard hat, a heavy object dropped from a height can cause severe head or spinal injuries.
- Caught‑in/between accidents: These accidents occur when a worker is crushed between objects, such as a vehicle and a wall or between moving machinery parts. They are a major cause of fatalities on construction sites.
- Electrocutions: Exposed wiring, contact with power lines, or faulty equipment can cause electrical burns and heart damage.
- Other hazards: According to New York construction accident statistics, injuries often involve material failures, excavation collapses, inadequate respiratory protection, slips and trips, falling debris, lack of safety gear, and misuse of machinery.
In 2023, NYCOSH found that 77% of construction workers who died in New York State were working on non-union sites. Union or non-union, documented or undocumented, New York labor laws protect every worker. In October 2025, a construction worker died after falling 50 feet into a hole at a Hudson Yards job site, the kind of elevation incident Labor Law 240 directly addresses.
Who Can Be Liable for a Construction Accident
In New York, workers’ compensation typically bars lawsuits against your direct employer. However, many accidents involve other parties whose negligence or failure to follow safety laws contributed to the hazard.
Potentially liable parties may include:
- Property owners and developers: Responsible for overall site safety and compliance with labor laws.
- General contractors and construction managers: coordinate trades, enforce safety rules, and control the means and methods of work. Their failure to provide adequate protection under Labor Law 240 or to follow Industrial Code rules under 241(6) can create liability.
- Subcontractors and site supervisors: May be liable if their conduct or equipment created a hazard (e.g., removing guardrails, leaving surfaces slippery).
- Equipment manufacturers and suppliers: Defective cranes, ladders, scaffolds, lifts, or power tools can support product-liability claims.
- Architects and engineers: In some cases, design errors or oversight failures contribute to unsafe site conditions.
- Public entities: Injuries on government-owned property require a Notice of Claim, typically within 90 days. Learn more about claims against New York municipalities, claims against New York State, and claims against the federal government.
Identifying every liable party early matters because multiple claims may be available, each with its own insurance coverage and deadlines. If OSHA regulations were violated on your job site, you may have additional legal options. Call 1-800-608-3333 for a no-obligation case review.
Megan Fallon of Stanley Law was excellent with my case. Going up against a company who mistreated me for being injured on the job would have been impossible if not for all the good work she has done to get me a fair and just decision!
Workers’ Compensation vs Third-Party Lawsuits
When you are injured on a job site, you may have two separate paths to compensation: workers’ compensation and a third‑party personal injury lawsuit.
| Feature | Workers’ compensation | Third-Party Personal Injury Claim |
|---|---|---|
| Fault Required? | A no-fault benefits claim for a work injury. | A fault-based claim against someone other than your employer. |
| Who is it against | Your employer’s workers’ comp insurance carrier. | Often, a negligent subcontractor, property owner, equipment manufacturer, or other third party. |
| Damages available | Medical treatment and partial wage replacement (about two-thirds of average wages, subject to caps). No pain and suffering damages. | Full lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and sometimes punitive damages. |
| What must be proven? | The injury happened in the course of employment. | Negligence or applicable legal duties (including certain New York Labor Law protections). |
| Common deadlines | Report accident to employer within 30 days; file Form C-3 with the Workers’ Compensation Board within two years. | Many injury claims: three years; wrongful death: two years; government-related claims may require a Notice of Claim within 90 days and shorter lawsuit deadlines. |
| Can both apply? | Yes. You can receive workers’ comp benefits while a third-party case proceeds. | Yes, but a workers’ comp lien may apply if there is a recovery. |
Workers’ compensation gives you quick access to medical care and partial wage replacement, but it rarely covers the full financial impact of a serious injury. A third-party claim lets you recover the full value of your losses, including pain and suffering and future earnings. Learn more about the workers’ compensation process and what to do if you’re injured on the job.
Filing Deadlines for Construction Accident Claims
Missing a deadline permanently closes your case. The clock starts the day of the accident, not the day you decide to act.
- Personal injury lawsuit: 3 years (CPLR 214).
- Wrongful death lawsuit: 2 years from date of death (EPTL 5-4.1).
- Report to employer (workers’ comp): 30 days (NY Workers’ Comp Law 18).
- Claim against a government entity: Notice of Claim within 90 days (General Municipal Law 50-e).
Call 1-800-608-3333 before time runs out.
Why Injured Workers Across Upstate NY Choose Stanley Law Offices
After a construction accident, evidence can disappear quickly, and multiple parties may try to limit their liability. Retaining an attorney familiar with New York labor law and Upstate court procedures offers several advantages:
- 90+ years of experience: The team at Stanley Law Offices brings decades of combined experience handling serious injury and work accident claims across New York.
- Local knowledge and resources: Stanley Law Offices has offices in Syracuse, Binghamton, Watertown, Rochester, and Oneonta. We understand the local courts and the insurance companies that handle upstate claims.
- Comprehensive case evaluation: We examine workers’ compensation benefits, potential third‑party claims under Labor Law 240/241/200, product liability actions, and municipal claims to identify every path to compensation.
- Evidence preservation: We act quickly to investigate the accident, secure photographs, witness statements, and equipment before conditions change.
- Documentation of losses: Our team works with your doctors to document medical treatment, long‑term impairments, and wage loss, ensuring that all damages are fully captured.
- No upfront fees: We handle construction cases on contingency. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
- Respect for every worker: We represent union and non‑union workers, including undocumented workers. The labor laws protect you regardless of your immigration status.
- Practical support: We handle communications with insurers and adjusters, arrange virtual or phone meetings when travel is difficult, and keep you informed at every step.
See our verdicts and settlements. Call 1-800-608-3333 for a no-obligation case review with our Upstate NY construction accident team.
5 star expertise, professionalism, compassion. The way I describe the team of Megan Fallon a d Sheri Scofield of Stanley Law. Having them in my corner while navigating a work injury has meant everything to me. Quality people, quality professionals, plain and simple. Davin G.
Counties and Cities We Serve in Upstate NY
At Stanley Law Offices, we are proud to serve construction workers across Upstate New York. Our attorney, Joe Stanley, and the team represent clients in major counties and surrounding communities, including:
- Onondaga County: Syracuse, Baldwinsville, Clay, Cicero, Liverpool, and surrounding areas.
- Monroe County: Rochester, Brighton, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Greece, and Penfield.
- Broome County: Binghamton, Endicott, Johnson City, Vestal, and nearby towns.
- Jefferson County: Watertown, Fort Drum, Le Ray, Brownville, and the Thousand Islands region.
- Otsego County and the Mohawk Valley: Oneonta, Cooperstown, Herkimer, and nearby communities.
If your construction accident happened anywhere in Upstate New York, Stanley Law Offices can review your case and help you take the next steps.
Contact Stanley Law Offices for a Free Consultation
If a construction accident has put your health, income, or ability to work at risk, don’t let the case be defined by an insurance adjuster. Contact Stanley Law Offices today for a free case evaluation. We will explain whether your claim involves workers’ compensation, a third‑party lawsuit, or both, and our experienced construction site attorneys will move quickly to preserve evidence and protect your rights.
Call us or submit our online contact form. There are no upfront fees; we only get paid if we recover compensation for you.
