Construction Accident Lawyer in Greene County
Injured on a construction site in Greene County? NY Labor Law §240 may hold the property owner strictly liable. Free case review — (888) 702-1581.
Greene County is at the epicenter of the Catskills hospitality renaissance, with multimillion-dollar lodge, boutique hotel, and glamping resort projects under construction from Windham to Catskill. Windham Mountain ski resort's ongoing base lodge and snowmaking infrastructure expansion employs dozens of mechanical and structural contractors each off-season. The Rip Van Winkle Bridge and Route 23 corridor see regular maintenance and commercial development work, and the town of Catskill's waterfront has attracted mixed-use residential developers who have brought multi-story construction to a historically rural scale.
NY Labor Law §240 and §241 — What Every Worker in Greene County Should Know
The Hudson Valley is in the middle of a development boom — waterfront projects, data centers, warehouse construction. Each new site is another place where a fall can happen and strict liability applies.
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 Greene 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 Greene County — Where Accidents Happen
Greene County has seen significant construction activity in recent years, including Windham Mountain ski resort base lodge expansion, Catskill waterfront mixed-use redevelopment, Route 23 commercial corridor reconstruction, Catskill. These projects employ workers represented by Laborers Local 785, Carpenters Local 291, Operating Engineers Local 158 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 Greene 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, Greene County
Construction accident lawsuits in Greene County are generally filed in the Supreme Court, Greene County, located at 320 Main Street, Catskill NY 12414. The court is part of New York's Appellate Division, 3rd Department — the appellate body that reviews trial court decisions in Greene 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 Columbia Memorial Health (Catskill campus) 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, Greene County
320 Main Street, Catskill NY 12414
Union Locals Active in Greene 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 Greene County
Injured on a Greene County Construction Site?
Call (888) 702-1581 for a free case review. We handle §240 and §241 claims throughout Greene County and all of New York state. No fee unless we win.