A 43-year-old construction worker was diligently working as a drill runner, tasked with chipping concrete on a building undergoing demolition in New York City.

While standing on a scaffold attached to the wall, our client was operating a pneumatic jackhammer to demolish the wall. Suddenly, the scaffold gave way, causing him to fall approximately 6-7 feet to the ground.

The collapse occurred when one of the anchors supporting a bracket disengaged from the wall, leading to the accident. Despite wearing a safety harness provided by his employer, it failed to prevent the fall.

We asserted a violation of Labor Law §240(1), highlighting the failure to provide a safe work environment and proper safety equipment.

As a result of the accident, our client suffered L5/S1 disc herniations in the lower back and knee injuries, necessitating surgical intervention.