Your life just flashed before your eyes. One moment you were doing your job, and the next, a forklift, loader, or truck was coming straight at you. After a serious worksite accident in New York, you may be dealing with painful injuries, missed paychecks, and uncertainty about what happens next.
It’s terrifying, painful, and life-altering to be run over by operating equipment. Litigation can help injured workers pursue compensation through a third-party claim when someone other than the employer caused the accident. Greenspan & Greenspan Injury Lawyers, P.C., can investigate what happened, identify who is responsible, and fight for the financial recovery you need to move forward.
How Do These Accidents Happen in New York?
Run-over incidents often trace back to preventable safety failures, such as:
- Unsafe backing or turning. Operators may miss a worker in a blind spot and strike them while reversing.
- Missing traffic control. A site without spotters, cones, or clear routes can lead to collisions.
- Equipment defects. Brake failure, steering problems, or broken alarms can turn a machine into a hazard.
- Poor training or supervision. Workers may get assigned to tasks without clear safety rules.
- Crowded job site conditions. Tight loading zones and cluttered walkways increase risk.
Understanding how the accident happened can help identify who caused it and what evidence you need.
Common Injuries from Run-Over Equipment Accidents
A run-over crash often causes injuries that take months or years to recover from. Some injuries never fully heal.
Some of the most common injuries in these cases include:
- Crush injuries and broken bones—involve legs, hips, ribs, or the spine;
- Traumatic brain injuries—head impact affecting memory, mood, and concentration;
- Internal injuries—organ damage requiring emergency surgery and long-term care;
- Amputations—loss of fingers, toes, or limbs; and
- Spinal cord injuries—chronic pain, limited mobility, or paralysis.
When the injuries are this serious, workers’ compensation alone may not cover the true cost of what you lost.
When a Third-Party Lawsuit May Apply
Most injured workers cannot sue their employer for negligence. Workers’ compensation usually covers medical care and part of your lost wages. But many run-over accidents involve someone outside the employer’s company.
A third-party claim may apply if the at-fault party was a:
- Property owner or building manager,
- General contractor or subcontractor,
- Delivery company or outside driver,
- Equipment rental company, or
- Equipment manufacturer (defective design or failure).
A third-party lawsuit can seek damages that workers’ comp does not cover, such as pain and suffering and full lost earning capacity.
New York also has safety laws that may support claims in certain worksite injury cases, depending on the facts.
What Compensation Can You Seek?
Compensation in a third-party worksite injury case may include payment for medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning ability, and pain and suffering. The exact amount depends on the injuries, the evidence, and who is legally responsible.
In serious cases, it may also cover long-term disability, disfigurement, emotional distress, and the cost of rehabilitation or home modifications. If the accident caused a death, the family may be able to pursue wrongful death damages. A wrongful death claim may help cover funeral costs and loss of financial support.
How Greenspan & Greenspan Injury Lawyers, P.C., Can Help
If you need a New York construction accident lawyer who knows how to handle high-stakes construction injury cases, contact Greenspan & Greenspan Injury Lawyers P.C. You should not have to fight a corporate insurer alone while you heal.
Greenspan & Greenspan has represented injured New Yorkers since 1959. We bring decades of courtroom and negotiation experience to serious injury claims, including run over by operating equipment litigation cases involving third-party liability. We investigate the accident, preserve evidence, identify responsible parties, and pursue maximum compensation for medical costs, lost income, and long-term harm.
Our team has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients and has earned recognition for strong advocacy and long-standing service to New York communities.
Contact our office today to learn how we can help you understand your legal options for this devastating injury.