Why Choosing the Right Construction Accident Lawyer Matters
April is when Brooklyn’s building season shakes off the winter. On Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, a material hoist climbs the side of a new mid-rise, and a pallet of concrete block shifts on the platform as it rises. In Bay Ridge, a laborer works the deck of a sidewalk shed above Third Avenue, passing bricks to a mason while shoppers walk underneath. On a Boerum Hill brownstone, a roofer lowers old slate by hand because nobody brought a proper rope and pulley. When a load slips or a worker falls in moments like these, the call to a Brooklyn construction accident lawyer often decides whether the injury is treated as bad luck or as a safety failure someone must answer for.
The city’s own numbers show both progress and risk. According to the NYC Department of Buildings 2024 Construction Safety Report, released in April 2025, construction-related injuries fell to 482 in 2024 from 692 in 2023, and seven workers died in construction incidents. The same report counted 638 construction-related incidents and a 24 percent rise in initial construction permits. More permits mean more hoists, more scaffolds, and more sheds over busy Brooklyn sidewalks each spring.
Behind every injury report sits an insurance file. Carriers for owners and contractors often reach the injured worker within days, ask for a recorded statement, and suggest the worker stood in the wrong spot or ignored instructions. The general contractor may blame a subcontractor, the subcontractor may blame the hoist rental company, and an early offer can arrive before anyone knows whether surgery will be needed.
The right attorney can make the difference between:
- A claim written off as an accident and one tied to a missing or inadequate safety device
- A payment that covers the first hospital visit and a recovery that reflects future surgery and lost earning years
- A case aimed at one small subcontractor and a lawsuit that reaches the owner and general contractor
- A worker pressured into a quick statement and a worker who knows what the law actually protects
Construction claims in New York follow rules found almost nowhere else. NY Labor Law §240(1) places responsibility on owners and contractors to provide proper protection from gravity-related hazards, including falling loads. NY Labor Law §241(6) ties liability to specific Industrial Code rules, and a workers’ compensation claim may run alongside a third-party lawsuit. Choosing counsel who knows how those pieces fit together shapes the case from the first week.
Here are the five firms we rank for Brooklyn construction accident cases this month.
April 2026 Rankings
| Rank | Law Firm | Lead Attorney | Client Satisfaction | Notable Settlements | Years Experience | Specialization Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kucher Law Group | Samantha Kucher, Esq. | 99% | $1,400,000 Construction Site Fall | 15+ | Construction Accidents & Personal Injury |
| 2 | Gregory Spektor & Associates, P.C. | Gregory Spektor | 97% | $300M+ Total Recovered | Decades | Personal Injury & Construction Accidents |
| 3 | Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP | Not Stated | 95% | Significant Worker Settlements | 90+ | Construction Worker Injury |
| 4 | Shulman & Hill Injury Lawyers | Alex Shulman | 94% | $1,500,000 Steel Beam Injury | 10+ | Construction & Personal Injury |
| 5 | Chopra & Nocerino | Sameer Chopra | 93% | $4,750,000 Scaffolding Collapse | 20+ (combined) | Construction & Personal Injury |
#1 Kucher Law Group
Why They’re #1: Injured workers searching for an experienced Brooklyn construction accident attorney who will follow a falling load or a collapsed platform back to the owner and general contractor will find Kucher Law Group at the top of our April list. The firm combines a $1,400,000 construction site fall result, a three-partner team that handles a case from investigation to trial, and a Google rating of 4.99 out of 5 based on 81 reviews.
Firm Overview
RRK Kucher Law Group PLLC has served injured New Yorkers since it was founded on December 10, 2019. A staff of 10 to 19 people works from two offices: Pulaski Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant and 26 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The firm reports more than $50 million recovered, over $20 million settled, and a 99 percent success rate, figures that are self-reported. Every case is taken on contingency.
Notable Case Results
- $1,400,000 : Construction site fall down stairs
- $650,000 : Fall down building stairs that caused a broken ankle
- $1,800,000 : Sidewalk trip and fall that required surgery
- $3,500,000 : Trip and fall on subway stairs, settled at trial
- $525,000 : Slip and fall on an icy sidewalk, decided by jury verdict
Legal Team Excellence
Samantha Kucher leads the firm, and her own path explains a good deal about how she treats clients. Attorney Kucher grew up at the Milton Hershey School, earned her BA at NYU, and completed her JD at New York Law School before joining the New York bar in 2015. She was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2020, was recognized among the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, and received NAOPIA honors in 2024 and 2025. She speaks with clients in English, Russian, and Spanish, which matters on Brooklyn crews where many workers prefer to describe an injury in their first language.
Michael Roitman is the firm’s primary trial attorney. Attorney Roitman studied at NYU, earned his JD at Cooley Law School, and appears in New York and New Jersey courts as well as the SDNY and EDNY. He was recognized among the Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements in New York in 2023.
Alex Rybakov rounds out the partnership. Licensed in New York since 2010, Attorney Rybakov holds degrees from NYU and Seton Hall and has spent more than a decade practicing personal injury law exclusively.
What Sets Them Apart
- 24/7 Availability: Workers and families can reach the firm at any hour, which helps when a hoist is being repaired or a shed is coming down.
- No Upfront Fees / Contingency Only: Clients pay no fee unless the firm recovers compensation.
- Brooklyn Knowledge: The Bedford-Stuyvesant office keeps the team close to job sites, hospitals, and courts throughout the borough.
- Personalized Service: Each client works directly with the attorneys and staff assigned to the file.
- Falling Object Claims: The team examines whether a load was being hoisted or secured and whether a proper device was missing, the questions that often decide a NY Labor Law §240(1) case.
Client Testimonials
“After a serious injury at my construction site I was overwhelmed. Kucher Law Group not only helped me navigate the legal process but also secured a settlement that eased my financial worries. Their compassion and expertise were evident in every interaction.” Becky Wolf, Google Review
Why Choose Kucher Law Group
A material fall or scaffold injury can leave a worker out of a paycheck while bills pile up. Kucher Law Group steps in to gather the site records, identify every company with a duty, and deal with the carriers directly. For workers who want trial lawyers in their corner, a team that answers the phone, and no fee unless there is a recovery, the firm is a strong place to start.
Contact: (929) 563-6780 | 463 Pulaski St #1C, Brooklyn, NY 11221
#2 Gregory Spektor & Associates, P.C.
Why They Made Our List: Gregory Spektor & Associates holds the second spot this month on the strength of a stated recovery total above $300 million and one of the largest attorney rosters among the firms we reviewed.
Firm Overview
Gregory Spektor & Associates, P.C. handles a broad range of injury matters and maintains a dedicated Brooklyn construction accident page. The firm describes decades of experience and states that it has recovered over $300 million for clients. Its construction page does not list individual case amounts, so we cite none here. The office listed on that page is at Cross Island Plaza in Queens rather than in Brooklyn.
Notable Achievements
- Over $300 million: Total recovered for clients, according to the firm
- Contingency fees: Clients pay only if there is a recovery
- Free consultation: Fees and costs are explained at the first meeting
- Spanish-language page: A Spanish version of the site is offered
Lead Attorney / Team
Gregory Spektor leads the firm. The construction page names a long list of attorneys, among them Mikhail Ilyaich, Matthew Sullivan, David L. Henderson, Sol Z. Sokel, and Michael Szechter, along with Dzhamshed Mannonov, Yan Gilkarov, and Galina Avakova. That depth may help on spring projects where an owner, a general contractor, a hoist operator, and a shed installer each played a role.
Service Approach
The firm presents construction injuries as part of a wider personal injury practice and invites workers to call for a free case review on a toll-free line. Because the listed office is in Queens, Brooklyn workers may want to ask at the outset how meetings, document signing, and updates will be handled, and whether the firm can meet near home or at a hospital during recovery. Asking which attorney will handle the file day to day is also a sensible first question with a team of this size.
Contact: 1 (800) 318-8888 | 1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 203C, Queens, NY 11422
#3 Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP
Why They Made Our List: Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP brings a stated history of more than 90 years assisting injured New York construction workers, and it keeps two offices inside the borough.
Firm Overview
The firm’s Brooklyn construction accident page is written directly for injured workers and says its record includes significant settlements. No dollar figures appear on that page, and no individual attorneys are named, so this profile credits the firm as a whole. A “Se Habla Español” notice signals Spanish-language service for clients.
Notable Achievements
- 90+ years: Stated history of helping injured New York construction workers
- Two Brooklyn offices: Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn and Flatbush Avenue
- Spanish-language service: Available to workers who prefer it
Lead Attorney / Team
The construction page does not identify a lead lawyer and instead points readers to the firm’s attorney directory. Workers can ask on the first call who would be responsible for their case and how often they can expect updates.
Service Approach
The firm’s Livingston Street office sits near the borough’s courthouses, and a second Brooklyn office operates at 2053 Flatbush Ave, Floor 1, reachable at 718-222-9800. A toll-free number, 800-692-3717, is also listed. The construction page links to a separate page on contingency fees rather than stating fee terms itself, so workers comparing firms may want to confirm the arrangement in writing.
Contact: (718) 395-5056 | 180 Livingston Street, Suite 2, Brooklyn, NY 11201
#4 Shulman & Hill Injury Lawyers
Why They Made Our List: Shulman & Hill earns its place by publishing construction results with real dollar amounts, including a day laborer’s claim involving a steel beam that descended out of control.
Firm Overview
Shulman & Hill Injury Lawyers says it has been part of the Brooklyn community for more than a decade and reports over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements. Consultations are free, and the firm states that clients owe nothing unless compensation is recovered. Staff speak Spanish and Russian.
Case Results
- $1,500,000: Day laborer injured by a steel beam’s uncontrolled descent
- $2,500,000: Non-union construction worker
- $1,750,000: HVAC installer hurt when a ladder shifted and collapsed
- $1,250,000: Non-union electrician who fell from a ladder
Lead Attorney / Team
Alex Shulman is the founding partner, and JJ Hill is also named on the firm’s Brooklyn construction page.
Service Approach
The firm’s results cover non-union workers and day laborers as well as skilled trades, which may reassure workers hired through a crew boss or paid by the day. Its office is on Court Street in Brooklyn, close to the borough’s courts, and the listed phone number carries a 212 area code.
Contact: (212) 221-1000 | 26 Court Street, #2216, Brooklyn, NY 11242
#5 Chopra & Nocerino
Why They Made Our List: Chopra & Nocerino completes the ranking with several published seven-figure construction results, led by a $4,750,000 scaffolding collapse.
Firm Overview
Chopra & Nocerino reports more than 20 years of combined experience and says it has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars. Clients pay nothing unless the firm wins, and Spanish-language help is offered. The office on its construction page is in Garden City, Long Island.
Notable Achievements
- $4,750,000: Scaffolding collapse
- $3,500,000: Construction worker hand injury
- $550,000: Electrician hurt in a scaffold fall
- Recognition: NAPIA Top 10 Under 40 and National Trial Lawyers Top 100, as listed by the firm
Lead Attorney / Team
Partners Sameer Chopra and Alex Nocerino lead the firm, supported by Managing Attorney Christine Duchatellier and several associates.
Service Approach
Its construction page highlights scaffold, ladder, and hand injury claims and repeats the firm’s promise that clients pay nothing unless it wins. Brooklyn workers may want to ask how meetings will be arranged, since the listed office is outside the borough.
Contact: 855-NYC-HURT (855-692-4878) | 100 Quentin Roosevelt Blvd, Unit 107, Garden City, NY 11530
Understanding Brooklyn Construction Accident Cases
Spring work in Brooklyn moves overhead. Loads ride hoists up new buildings, masons stage brick on shed decks, and crews strip and replace facades above streets full of people. Many of the most serious injuries this time of year come from something that fell, or from a worker who fell while handling it. The legal question is usually whether the device meant to control that load, or to protect that worker, was there and did its job.
Material Hoists and Falling Loads
The new mid-rise buildings along Fourth Avenue in Park Slope rely on exterior hoists and cranes to lift block, rebar, and window units. When a load slides off a platform or a sling fails, the worker below may have a claim under NY Labor Law §240(1). In Narducci v. Manhasset Bay Associates (2001), the New York Court of Appeals held that a falling object case requires showing the object fell while being hoisted or secured, because of an absent or inadequate safety device. Rigging records and hoist inspection logs often decide these cases.
Sidewalk Sheds and Scaffold Decks
Sidewalk sheds line commercial strips such as Third Avenue and Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge, and many serve as working platforms for masonry and facade crews. A shed deck without proper edge protection, or a supported scaffold that was never planked correctly, can lead to falls from height and dropped materials. These structures protect the public below, but they also create new hazards for the workers on top.
Brownstone and Row House Renovations
Boerum Hill blocks along Pacific Street and Bergen Street see steady renovation work each spring. Roofers and laborers lowering debris by hand, without a rope, pulley, or chute, face exactly the gravity risk §240(1) addresses. One important wrinkle: owners of one- and two-family homes who contract for the work but do not direct or control it are exempt from §240(1), which shifts attention to the contractors.
Larger Mixed-Use Developments
Prospect Heights projects near Vanderbilt Avenue and Atlantic Avenue bring tower cranes, multiple subcontractors, and tight delivery schedules. Each extra party adds another set of insurers and another chain of responsibility to untangle.
Who Can Be Held Liable
- Property owners, subject to the one- and two-family home exemption
- General contractors and construction managers with authority over the site
- Subcontractors whose crews rigged, loaded, or operated equipment
- Hoist, crane, scaffold, and sidewalk shed companies and their lessors
- Engineers or architects who directed or controlled the work, beyond planning and design
Critical NYC Requirements
- NY Labor Law §240(1) requires owners and contractors to furnish devices such as scaffolds, hoists, ropes, and pulleys that give proper protection to workers
- NY Labor Law §241(6) supports claims based on violations of specific Industrial Code safety rules
- NYC Local Law 196 of 2017 requires a Site Safety Training card on sites that need a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator, or Site Safety Manager; the NYC Department of Buildings lists 40 hours for workers and 62 hours for supervisors, including Fall Prevention training, with cards valid for five years
- Most personal injury claims must be filed within 3 years, and claims against public entities carry much shorter notice deadlines
- Workers’ compensation benefits may be paid alongside a separate lawsuit against owners and contractors who were not the worker’s employer
How We Selected the Top Construction Accident Attorneys
Nine factors shaped the April ranking, each weighed with spring job site risks in mind. Construction claims rarely involve a single company, and an injured worker may be away from the job for months, so we looked for firms built to handle both realities.
Case Results and Recovery Amounts. Specific numbers carried the most weight. A published result that names the injury, such as a scaffold collapse or a steel beam strike, tells a worker far more than a lifetime total, and we kept the language general wherever a firm published no figures.
Legal Experience and Expertise. Falling object and Scaffold Law claims turn on narrow legal questions about devices, loads, and control of the work. We looked for firms that clearly handle construction matters and can explain those questions to clients.
Trial Readiness. Large contractors and their carriers pay attention to which lawyers will actually try a case. Trial attorneys on staff and verdicts the firms published counted in their favor, and we assumed nothing that was not stated.
Brooklyn Community Connection. We reported where each office actually sits. A team based in the borough can reach sites in Park Slope or Bay Ridge quickly, before sheds come down and hoists are moved.
Client Satisfaction. Google ratings and verified reviews show how a firm treats people who are hurt and out of work. Comments describing communication and follow-through mattered more than general praise, and we kept in mind that ratings cover a firm’s whole practice.
Accessibility and Communication. Workers often call from a hospital bed or late after a shift. Round-the-clock availability, toll-free lines, and Spanish or Russian speakers on staff all improved a firm’s standing.
Fee Structure and Transparency. Most firms here state a contingency arrangement on their own pages. Clear statements about when a fee is owed, and a free first consultation, earned credit because injured workers should never pay to learn their rights. We also noted when a firm left fee terms to a separate page.
Professional Recognition. Honors from peers and legal organizations confirm reputation from outside the firm. We listed only awards the firms publish and dated each one, so no honor reads as current when it is not.
Scope of Services. Many construction injuries involve a compensation claim, a third-party lawsuit, and disputes among several insurers at once. Firms that guide clients through all three received additional weight, since an early misstep on one claim can weaken another.
Moving Forward: Choosing Your Brooklyn Construction Accident Attorney
If a falling load, a shed deck, or a scaffold injured you on a job in Park Slope, Bay Ridge, Prospect Heights, or anywhere else in Brooklyn, act while the site still looks the way it did that day. Get medical care, report the injury to your employer, and photograph the hoist, the platform, or whatever fell. Write down the names of the companies on the job and the people who gave instructions.
Then talk with a lawyer who handles construction claims. Each firm on this list offers a way to begin, and most provide a free consultation. Ask how the firm would identify the owner and every contractor with a duty, whether it tries cases, and what you would owe if the case succeeds. Compare the answers and decide promptly, because equipment gets moved and deadlines keep running.
About Our Rankings: Chela News’ monthly rankings recognize excellence in specialized practice areas. Our evaluation process examines case results, client satisfaction, professional experience, and community impact. Rankings are based on verified data and are updated monthly to reflect current performance. Enhanced profiles are available but not required for ranking consideration.
For Attorneys: To nominate yourself or a colleague for future rankings, please email editor@chelanews.com.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique, and results depend on specific facts and circumstances.
