Personal Injury Litigation

Verdicts & Settlements

A worker injured by a die cutting machine who suffered crush injuries to his arm because the machine lacked proper guarding and was not equipped with buttons which required both to be pressed at the same time for the machine to operate. A co-worker had mistakenly pressed the button which caused the machine to operate. We were able to obtain a seven figure recovery for him.

Our client obtained a seven figure settlement after suffering the loss of four fingers on his hand when his hand became trapped in the rollers of a rubber mill machine. His injury occurred because the machine lacked a standard safety device, which we were able to show was contrary to industry recommendations.

After an appeal and trial on liability, we were able to obtain a multimillion dollar recovery for a worker injured while working at a factory on a machine when an employee of the factory removed a guard on the machine and he was directed to continue to work on the unguarded machine.

A worker damaged his spinal cord and became unable to walk without a walker or other device when he fell while washing windows at a building because of a defective device used to prevent or stop his fall. As a result of our efforts, our client received an award in the millions of dollars.

A worker suffered herniated lumbar and cervical discs after he fell from a scaffold when, while working, his tools came into contact with an electrical wire. We were able to obtain a judgment in his favor as to liability which resulted in a seven figure settlement.

A worker was badly burned by an improperly installed boiler which caused steam to escape from the pipes. We were able to obtain a settlement for him in excess of a million dollars.

A worker severely fractured his arm and wrist as a result of a fall from an unsecured ladder while removing a sign and awning from a building. We were successful in obtaining a judgment in the lower court which was affirmed on appeal confirming the defendant’s responsibility for the injury in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An employee using a mixing machine suffered an amputation to his right hand at the mid forearm (which was thankfully able to be reattached) when a redesigned mixing machine operated. The redesigned machine removed the safety device which would have prevented the employee’s accident. Trief & Olk was able to recover against the company that redesigned the machine in a substantial settlement which will result in his receiving more than a million dollars.

A worker damaged his spinal cord and became unable to walk without a walker or other device when he fell while washing windows at a building because of insufficient safety devices. As a result of our efforts, he received an award in the millions of dollars.

New York Work Place Injury Attorneys

New York City - New Jersey - Manhattan

Machinery, Equipment, and Construction Workplace Injuries

Unfortunately, injuries from defective products, equipment or machinery are all too common. When the injury happens in the workplace, questions of liability are often raised as to whether the equipment manufacturer, parts manufacturer, distributor, maintenance technician, employer and/or the worker may be at fault. An experienced injury attorney will know how to wade through these many layers of responsibility and achieve appropriate compensation for the injured party.

Further, construction injuries have been all to frequent an occurrence. Trief & Olk has repeatedly represented workers who have been injured as a result of failures of owners, contractors, and subcontractors to follow safe construction practices.

Our extensive experience in this area includes:

A textile factory worker who lost his hand in the unguarded rollers of a fabric dying machine. The machine did not include a safety switch to prevent remote operation of the machine.
A factory worker who lost the use of his hand in an industrial mixing machine. The machine was able to operate from a remote location even though the door was open.
A laborer who lost his arm when his sleeve became entangled in the moving rollers of an industrial recycling machine. The moving parts of the machine were not properly guarded.
A factory worker helping a co-worker to set up a die cutting machine who suffered a crush injury to his right arm when his coworker mistakenly pressed a button causing the ram of the machine to come down on his arm. The machine did not have proper guarding or a dual button activation system.
A factory worker who was severely injured when a forklift overturned.
Workers using unguarded table saws, knitting machines, punch presses, power presses, metal forming equipment and bakery equipment.
A grocery worker injured while using a meat grinder. The chute of the grinder was too large and his hand became entangled in the grinding mechanism as he was feeding meat into the machine.
A restaurant owner who injured when his hand became entangled in a pasta machine. The automatic stop failed to function properly when the pasta chute cover was opened, causing the owner to lose his hand.
A pizzeria employee whose hand was injured by a commercial cheese grinder while feeding cheese into the hopper of the machine.
A worker using a snow blower who injured his hand when he attempted to clear wet snow that had clogged the chute. The machine was not equipped with a “dead-man” control to stop the machine from moving when the operator let go of the handles.
A construction worker who fell from an unsteady scaffold, suffering fractures of the radius and humerous and an ACL tear. The defendant erroneously claimed that the accident occurred only because of the workers' own acts.

Trief & Olk has been very successful in obtaining verdicts and settlements for workers injured at their workplace by machines and equipment and by unsafe construction practices, including the following examples:

After an appeal and trial on liability, Trief & Olk was able to obtain a multimillion dollar recovery for a worker injured while working at a factory on a machine when an employee of the factory removed a guard on the machine and he was directed to continue to work on the unguarded machine.
A worker suffered herniated lumbar and cervical discs after he fell from a scaffold when, while working, his tools came into contact with an electrical wire. We were able to obtain a judgment in his favor as to liability which resulted in a seven figure settlement.
A worker was badly burned by an improperly installed boiler which caused steam to escape from the pipes. We were able to obtain a settlement for him in excess of a million dollars.
A worker severely fractured his arm and wrist as a result of a fall from an unsecured ladder while removing a sign and awning from a building. We were successful in obtaining a judgment in the lower court which was affirmed on appeal confirming the defendant's responsibility for the injury in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
An employee using a mixing machine suffered an amputation to his right hand at the mid forearm (which was thankfully able to be reattached) when a redesigned mixing machine operated. The redesigned machine removed the safety device which would have prevented the employee's accident. Trief & Olk was able to recover against the company that redesigned the machine in a substantial settlement which will result in his receiving more than a million dollars.
A worker damaged his spinal cord and became unable to walk without a walker or other device when he fell while washing windows at a building because of insufficient safety devices. As a result of our efforts, he received an award in the millions of dollars.

If you or someone you know has been injured by faulty or defective equipment or machinery, we may be able to achieve compensation for the injured party. Please call or e-mail our equipment accident attorneys and workplace injury lawyers in Manhattan, New York City, New York or New Jersey to discuss your case.