Construction Accident Lawyer in Broome County
Injured on a construction site in Broome County? NY Labor Law §240 may hold the property owner strictly liable. Free case review — (888) 702-1581.
Broome County's construction sector is being reshaped by the Binghamton University Health Sciences Campus expansion — a multi-hundred-million-dollar project bringing new academic and research buildings to the Vestal area. The Route 434 corridor between Binghamton and Endicott has seen significant commercial and mixed-use development, and flood mitigation infrastructure following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee continues to employ civil contractors. IBM's legacy industrial campuses in Endicott and Owego have driven environmental remediation construction that operates under unique hazardous-material safety requirements.
NY Labor Law §240 and §241 — What Every Worker in Broome County Should Know
Southern Tier construction is dominated by infrastructure repair and industrial work — exactly the elevated-surface work that §240 was designed to protect.
New York Labor Law §240(1), known as the Scaffold Law, imposes strict liability on property owners and general contractors when a worker is injured due to a gravity-related hazard — a fall from scaffolding, a ladder collapse, a falling object. Strict liability means the owner's negligence does not need to be proved. If the safety device failed to provide proper protection, liability attaches.
§241(6) adds a parallel claim: any violation of the NY Industrial Code (12 NYCRR Part 23) that causes injury is also actionable. These two statutes together give injured construction workers in Broome County unusually strong legal footing compared to workers in any other state.
Workers' compensation is not your only option. §240 and §241(6) claims are separate civil lawsuits — you can pursue both simultaneously, and a third-party lawsuit typically produces substantially higher recoveries than comp alone.
Active Construction in Broome County — Where Accidents Happen
Broome County has seen significant construction activity in recent years, including Binghamton University Health Sciences Campus, Vestal, Downtown Binghamton revitalization corridor, Susquehanna River flood mitigation infrastructure. These projects employ workers represented by Laborers Local 785, Carpenters Local 277, Operating Engineers Local 832, Iron Workers Local 60 and other locals operating in the region.
Active construction zones are where §240 injuries occur. When an employer or GC fails to erect proper scaffolding, provide fall harnesses, or secure materials against falling, and a worker is hurt, the legal machinery of Labor Law §240 and §241(6) is available to that worker regardless of what their employer tells them.
Many workers in Broome County are told after an injury that workers' comp is their only option, or that they were partly at fault. Under §240 strict liability, comparative negligence is not a defense. The employer's or property owner's claim that "you should have been more careful" is legally irrelevant if a safety device failed.
Filing Your Claim: Supreme Court, Broome County
Construction accident lawsuits in Broome County are generally filed in the Supreme Court, Broome County, located at 92 Court Street, Binghamton NY 13901. The court is part of New York's Appellate Division, 4th Department — the appellate body that reviews trial court decisions in Broome County cases. Understanding the appellate division matters because different departments have developed slightly different interpretations of §240's scope over decades of case law.
Deadlines matter. Under CPLR §214, you have three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury claim. However, the statute of limitations for wrongful death is two years, and claims against government entities may require a Notice of Claim filed within 90 days. Do not wait.
If you were treated after your accident at UHS Wilson Medical Center or another trauma center, your medical records will form a core part of your damages evidence. Preserving those records early, along with incident reports, OSHA logs, and witness contact information, protects your case.
Supreme Court, Broome County
92 Court Street, Binghamton NY 13901
Union Locals Active in Broome County
Union members may have additional resources through their trust funds, but union membership does not affect your right to pursue an independent Labor Law §240 or §241(6) claim.
Common Questions About Construction Accidents in Broome County
Injured on a Broome County Construction Site?
Call (888) 702-1581 for a free case review. We handle §240 and §241 claims throughout Broome County and all of New York state. No fee unless we win.