Nassau County Construction Accident Lawyers Recover Full Compensation for Injured Long Island Workers
Nassau County construction accident lawyers at Cohen & Cohen Personal Injury Lawyers, P.C. represent workers injured on job sites throughout Long Island, including Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Hempstead, Garden City, Merrick, and communities along the Sunrise Highway corridor. If you were hurt in a construction accident in Nassau County, New York Labor Law gives you powerful legal rights that operate completely independently of workers’ compensation, rights that an experienced attorney must actively enforce on your behalf. Cohen & Cohen’s Lynbrook office at 303 Sunrise Highway serves Nassau County construction workers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, handles all cases on a contingency basis, and charges no fee unless we win.
Nassau County Construction Accident Victims Face These Risks on Long Island Job Sites
Nassau County construction accident victims face serious and often underappreciated risks on Long Island job sites that differ meaningfully from the construction environment in New York City. Nassau County is not a borough. It operates under its own municipal structure, its own court system, and its own procedural rules, and construction accident victims who don’t understand those differences can lose rights that cannot be recovered.
Nassau County has experienced sustained residential and commercial redevelopment along major corridors, including Sunrise Highway, Hempstead Turnpike, Merrick Road, Rockaway Turnpike, and Old Country Road. Mixed-use transit-oriented development near LIRR stations in communities including Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Valley Stream, Freeport, and Baldwin has brought significant construction activity to areas that previously had limited job site density. Commercial corridor renovation projects, roadway infrastructure work, and utility upgrades across Nassau County create ongoing hazards for construction workers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction remains one of the most dangerous occupations in New York State, with worker fatalities occurring at a rate approximately five times higher than that of all other industries combined. Nassau County construction workers are exposed to the same fall risks, equipment hazards, and structural dangers as workers anywhere in New York, and the same New York State Labor Laws protect them. The difference is where and how those claims are handled.
New York Labor Law Protects Nassau County Construction Workers in These Critical Ways
New York Labor Law protects Nassau County construction workers through the same statewide statutes that apply in New York City, Labor Law 240, Labor Law 241, and Labor Law 200. These laws do not stop at the city line. Every construction worker in Nassau County who suffers a height-related fall, a struck-by injury, or a job site injury caused by an Industrial Code violation has access to the same strict liability framework that makes New York construction accident law among the most protective in the country.
Labor Law 240 Holds Nassau County Property Owners Strictly Liable for Height-Related Construction Injuries
Labor Law Section 240, the Scaffolding Law, holds Nassau County property owners and general contractors strictly liable for construction worker injuries caused by falls from elevation and falling objects. Strictly liable means no proof of negligence is required. You show the statute was violated and that the violation caused your injury, that is the entire liability case. The property owner and general contractor cannot escape responsibility by claiming you were at fault.
This statute applies to every construction, demolition, repair, alteration, painting, cleaning, and pointing job in Nassau County, regardless of the size of the project or whether it involves a residential or commercial property. A worker who falls off a ladder at a home renovation project in Lynbrook has the same Labor Law 240 rights as a worker who falls from a scaffold on a commercial development in Hempstead. The law does not distinguish by project type or location within New York State.
Cohen & Cohen Personal Injury Lawyers, P.C. has recovered $3,500,000 for a worker injured in a fall caused by a plywood obstruction during active construction. The defendant disputed the claim, argued pre-existing injuries, and filed for summary judgment under Labor Law 200 and 240(1). Our attorneys defeated the motion and secured the result. That case was won because Labor Law 240’s strict liability framework was correctly applied from day one of the litigation.
Labor Law 241 Requires Nassau County Construction Sites to Comply with New York Industrial Code Safety Standards
Labor Law Section 241(6) imposes specific safety obligations on Nassau County property owners and general contractors at construction, demolition, and excavation sites. It requires compliance with the New York Industrial Code, detailed regulations governing trench safety, floor opening protection, equipment guarding, lighting, and dozens of other site conditions. A 241(6) claim requires showing that a specific code provision was violated and that the violation caused the injury.
Nassau County construction sites frequently involve trench work for utilities and drainage, excavation for new foundations along transit corridors, and demolition of older commercial structures along redevelopment corridors like Sunrise Highway. These are exactly the job site conditions where Industrial Code violations occur most frequently.
Labor Law 200 Creates a General Duty of Safe Conditions at Nassau County Job Sites
Labor Law Section 200 imposes a general duty of care on Nassau County property owners and contractors to maintain reasonably safe conditions at construction sites. It applies when dangerous conditions arise from the work methods or materials used, and the owner or contractor had authority to supervise or control that work. It functions as a catch-all for Nassau County construction accident claims that don’t fit neatly within 240 or 241, including equipment failures and negligent site supervision.
Nassau County Construction Accident Claims Are Handled in These Courts
Nassau County construction accident claims that proceed to litigation are filed in Nassau County Supreme Court, located at 100 Supreme Court Drive in Mineola, not in New York City courts. This is one of the most significant procedural differences between Nassau County construction accident cases and those arising in the five boroughs, and it directly affects how your case is litigated, how long it takes, and what to expect from a jury.
Nassau County Supreme Court operates under the same New York Civil Practice Law and Rules as the NYC courts, but has its own judges, its own calendar, and its own local practices. Nassau County jurors are drawn from a population that differs significantly from New York City’s jury pool, with different demographics, different relationships to homeownership and property development, and different perceptions of construction site liability. Attorneys who practice only in NYC courts and don’t have experience in Nassau County Supreme Court are at a disadvantage in these cases.
Cohen & Cohen’s Lynbrook office serves Nassau County clients directly from 303 Sunrise Highway, the same road where much of Nassau’s commercial construction activity is concentrated. Our attorneys handle Nassau County construction accident cases from investigation through Nassau County Supreme Court litigation.
Nassau County Municipal Construction Accidents Trigger These Notice of Claim Requirements
Nassau County municipal construction accidents and injuries on job sites involving Nassau County, any Nassau County municipality, a town, village, or school district, require a Notice of Claim to be filed within 90 days of the accident. Missing this deadline permanently eliminates the right to sue the municipal entity. This is the same 90-day rule that applies in New York City for city-owned projects, but Nassau County has its own separate notice requirements from NYC, they are not interchangeable.
Nassau County construction workers injured on public works projects, road construction, utility work, or school construction must identify whether a municipal entity is a potentially liable party and file the Notice of Claim within 90 days. This is not optional and cannot be waived. Call Cohen & Cohen immediately after a Nassau County construction accident involving any public project to protect this deadline.
Cohen & Cohen Handles These Types of Nassau County Construction Accident Cases
Cohen & Cohen handles all types of construction site accident cases throughout Nassau County and Long Island, including:
- Scaffold falls and collapses — Strict liability under Labor Law 240; among the most serious Nassau County construction injuries on defective scaffolding
- Ladder accidents — Unsecured, defective, or improperly placed ladders on Nassau County residential and commercial job sites; fully covered under Labor Law 240
- Falling object injuries — Workers struck by tools, materials, or equipment falling from above; direct Labor Law 240 claims against the property owner and general contractor
- Trench and excavation collapses — Nassau County’s utility and infrastructure projects involve extensive trenching; collapses cause fatal and catastrophic injuries
- Crane accidents — Commercial and residential development across Nassau County involves crane operations; equipment failures cause catastrophic injury
- Electrocution and electrical accidents — Unguarded live wires, improper electrical safety, and utility contact during excavation cause severe burn injuries and death
- Construction vehicle and equipment accidents — Bulldozers, dump trucks, forklifts, and cement mixers on Nassau County job sites; third-party liability when their operation injures workers
- Sunrise Highway corridor construction accidents — The active redevelopment and commercial construction along Route 27 from Valley Stream through Lynbrook creates specific job site hazard patterns our attorneys know
- LIRR-adjacent and transit-oriented development accidents — Construction near active rail infrastructure in Nassau County creates unique hazards, including limited egress, overhead hazards, and coordination with transit operations
- Residential renovation and addition accidents — Labor Law 240 applies to all construction in Nassau County, regardless of project size, including home additions, roofing, and single-family renovation work
- Industrial Code violations under Labor Law 241 — Inadequate trench shoring, missing floor hole covers, improper lighting, and failure to provide fall protection equipment on Nassau County job sites
Nassau County Construction Accident Victims Sustain These Serious and Compensable Injuries
Nassau County construction accident victims sustain severe and often permanent injuries that workers’ compensation benefits cannot fully address. The injuries Cohen & Cohen’s attorneys handle for Nassau County construction workers include traumatic brain injuries from falls and struck-by incidents; spinal cord injuries and paralysis from scaffold collapses and falls from height; broken bones including complex fractures requiring surgical repair; crush injuries from heavy equipment; severe burn injuries from electrical accidents and explosions; amputation injuries from power tools and machinery; shoulder, knee, and hip injuries requiring surgery and long-term rehabilitation; and wrongful death claims on behalf of surviving family members.
Cohen & Cohen also applies its estate planning experience to reduce liens on Nassau County construction accident recoveries. Workers’ compensation carriers, Medicaid programs, and health insurers routinely assert claims against personal injury settlements, our attorneys negotiate those liens to protect as much of your recovery as possible for you and your family.
These Parties Bear Liability for Nassau County Construction Accidents
These parties bear potential liability for Nassau County construction accidents and must be fully investigated before any claim is filed:
- Property owners — Strictly liable under Labor Law 240 for height-related accidents on Nassau County job sites; liable under 241 for Industrial Code violations
- General contractors — Held to the same strict liability as property owners under 240 and 241; additionally liable under 200 for supervising the means and methods of work
- Nassau County and its municipalities — Potentially liable for construction accidents on public projects, subject to the 90-day Notice of Claim requirement
- Subcontractors — Directly liable for creating dangerous conditions and for their employees’ negligent acts that injure co-workers
- Equipment manufacturers — Defective ladders, scaffolds, cranes, harnesses, and tools that fail on Nassau County job sites support product liability claims
- Property developers — On Nassau County’s larger mixed-use transit corridor projects, the developer may bear independent liability separate from the general contractor
- Architects and engineers — Design professionals who specify unsafe methods or fail to address known hazards may bear independent liability under New York law
Nassau County Construction Workers Can Recover These Two Categories of Compensation
Nassau County construction accident victims pursue two parallel compensation channels, and how those channels interact determines the total recovery.
Workers’ Compensation Provides These Benefits to Injured Nassau County Construction Workers
Workers’ compensation provides no-fault benefits covering medical treatment, approximately two-thirds of average weekly wages during disability, permanent disability benefits, and death benefits for surviving family members. You do not prove fault to receive workers’ comp, but workers’ compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, full lost wages, or the long-term financial impact of serious disability.
Cohen & Cohen is not a workers’ compensation law firm. Our focus is on maximizing total recovery through third-party personal injury litigation, the claims that pay full damages rather than workers’ comp minimums.
Third-Party Personal Injury Claims Recover What Workers’ Compensation Leaves Out
When a property owner, general contractor, or other non-employer third party’s negligence or statutory violation caused your Nassau County construction accident, a personal injury lawsuit can recover full past and future lost wages and earning capacity, all medical expenses, including long-term care, pain and suffering, permanent disability and disfigurement, and loss of consortium. Under Labor Law 240, the injured worker’s comparative negligence is not a defense, Nassau County property owners and general contractors cannot escape strict liability by blaming the worker.
Nassau County Construction Accident Victims Must Take These Steps to Protect Their Rights
Report immediately. Notify your employer as soon as possible after the accident. You have 30 days to notify your employer for workers’ compensation purposes, but written notice immediately is always better.
Get medical attention. Go to the emergency room or urgent care. Do not minimize symptoms, spinal injuries and traumatic brain injuries can have delayed onset. Every record created after your accident is evidence in your case.
Document the scene. Photograph the accident location, the equipment involved, and any missing or defective safety equipment before conditions change. Nassau County job sites move fast.
Watch the municipal deadline. If your accident occurred on any Nassau County public works project, road construction, school, or other municipally-owned site, you have 90 days to file a Notice of Claim. This deadline is separate from, and not the same as, New York City’s notice requirements. Missing it eliminates the municipal claim permanently.
Do not give recorded statements. The workers’ compensation carrier, the general contractor’s insurer, and the property owner’s insurer are adversaries. Speak with an attorney before making any recorded statement.
Call Cohen & Cohen. Nassau County construction accident cases are complex. They involve New York Labor Law claims, Nassau County Supreme Court procedure, and, in some cases, municipal notice requirements that have hard deadlines. Cohen & Cohen’s Lynbrook office handles these cases 24/7, comes to you if you cannot come to us, and charges nothing unless we win.
Most Common Types of Nassau County Construction Accidents
Construction sites across Nassau County expose workers to a wide range of hazards despite OSHA regulations and New York State safety requirements. The most common Nassau County construction accident types our attorneys handle include falls from scaffolding and ladders; electrocution and electrical contact; burn accidents; falling object and debris strikes; equipment and machinery accidents including forklift and crane incidents; trench and excavation collapses; structure and building collapses during demolition; construction vehicle collisions; chemical and hazardous material exposure; and repetitive motion and overexertion injuries that develop over time on Nassau County job sites.
At Cohen & Cohen, we help injured construction workers get more compensation and keep more of it. Settlements and jury awards are frequently subject to liens from workers’ comp carriers and health insurers.
Most Common Construction Injuries on Nassau County Job Sites
Nassau County construction accidents produce injuries ranging from temporary disabilities to permanent, career-ending conditions. The injuries our attorneys handle for Nassau County construction workers include spinal cord injuries; traumatic brain injuries; paralysis including paraplegia and quadriplegia; burns from electrical and fire-related accidents; broken and fractured bones; repetitive stress injuries; knee and hip injuries requiring surgical repair; neck, shoulder, and back injuries; eye injuries and vision loss; respiratory disease from dust and chemical exposure; hearing loss; lacerations; amputations; PTSD; and wrongful death.
Construction Vehicle Accidents on Nassau County Roads and Job Sites
Nassau County’s suburban road network creates a distinct construction vehicle accident environment compared to New York City. Sunrise Highway, Hempstead Turnpike, Merrick Road, and the Southern State Parkway service roads carry significant commercial vehicle traffic, including dump trucks, cement mixers, material haulers, and construction equipment moving between Nassau County job sites. Accidents involving these vehicles injure both workers and motorists, and the liability analysis involves both workers’ compensation and third-party personal injury claims, depending on the circumstances.
Cohen & Cohen represents Nassau County clients injured in construction vehicle accidents involving trucks, material haulers, cement mixers, bulldozers, cranes, dump trucks, and forklifts, on job sites and on Nassau County roads.
Nassau County Construction Accident Attorney FAQ
Does New York Labor Law 240 apply to Nassau County construction accidents outside New York City?
Yes. Labor Law 240 is a statewide statute that applies to every construction, demolition, repair, alteration, and cleaning job in New York State, including every project in Nassau County. The law does not distinguish between NYC and Long Island. A construction worker injured in a fall on a Lynbrook job site has identical Labor Law 240 rights to a worker injured on a Manhattan high-rise. Property owners and general contractors throughout Nassau County are subject to strict liability under the Scaffolding Law.
Where are Nassau County construction accident lawsuits filed?
Nassau County construction accident personal injury lawsuits are filed in Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive in Mineola. This is not a New York City court. Nassau County Supreme Court has its own judges, calendar, and local practices. Attorneys who handle cases exclusively in NYC courts do not automatically have familiarity with Nassau County Supreme Court practice, which is one reason choosing a firm with a physical Lynbrook office matters for Nassau County construction accident cases.
What is the 90-day Notice of Claim requirement for Nassau County construction accidents?
If your construction accident occurred on a project involving Nassau County, a Nassau County town, village, school district, or other municipal entity as the property owner or general contractor, you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the accident to preserve the right to sue that municipal entity. Missing this deadline permanently eliminates the claim against the municipality, there is no extension and no exception. This deadline is separate from New York City’s notice requirements and applies independently throughout Nassau County. Call Cohen & Cohen immediately after any accident on a public works project.
I was injured on a small residential renovation project in Nassau County. Does Labor Law 240 still apply?
Generally, yes, with one important exception. Labor Law 240 applies to all construction, repair, and alteration work in New York State, regardless of project size. However, the statute contains a homeowner exemption for owners of one- and two-family dwellings who contract for work and do not direct or control the work. The exemption is narrower than it sounds, if the homeowner directed or controlled any aspect of the work, the exemption may not apply. Contact Cohen & Cohen to evaluate whether Labor Law 240 covers your specific Nassau County residential construction accident.
Can I sue a Nassau County subcontractor if they caused my construction accident?
Yes. Subcontractors who create dangerous conditions on Nassau County job sites or whose employees negligently injure other workers can be sued directly. Subcontractors are not shielded by Labor Law 240 and 241 the same way employers are shielded by workers’ compensation. Identifying all potentially liable parties, including sub-tiers below the primary subcontractor, requires a thorough investigation of the job site contracts and relationships.
How long do I have to file a Nassau County construction accident lawsuit?
Three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit; two years for a wrongful death claim. For workers’ compensation, 30 days to notify your employer. For any claim against a Nassau County municipal entity, 90 days to file a Notice of Claim, after which the municipal claim is permanently barred. Do not wait to consult an attorney.
What does it cost to hire a Nassau County construction accident lawyer at Cohen & Cohen?
Nothing upfront. All Nassau County construction accident cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, no legal fees unless we win. No charge for the initial consultation, no retainer, no out-of-pocket legal expenses during representation. If we do not recover money for you, you owe nothing.
Contact Cohen & Cohen’s Nassau County Construction Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Cohen & Cohen Personal Injury Lawyers, P.C. serves Nassau County construction accident victims from our Lynbrook office at 303 Sunrise Highway, Lynbrook, NY 11563, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If your injuries prevent you from coming to our office, we will come to you.
Call (718) 550-7121 or contact us online. No fee unless we win.
Lynbrook / Nassau County Office
303 Sunrise Highway
Lynbrook, NY 11563
Phone: (718) 550-7121
Open 24 Hours
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