A Brooklyn jury has awarded a construction worker more than $53 million after he was severely injured on the job in a preventable fall.
"The jury has spoken and with this verdict Mr. Moonsammy was given the justice he so desperately deserves,” said Jeffery Block, partner with Block O'Toole & Murphy, a New York-based injury law firm.
On Aug. 8, 2017, Alan Moonsammy (43) was working for Mecca Contracting installing an air conditioner condenser on a bulkhead rooftop at a Brooklyn construction project.
Moonsammy fell off the bulkhead and landed on the rooftop 10 feet below. The fall resulted in fractures to his spine requiring emergency surgery.
Unfortunately, his spinal cord was damaged in the fall and he was left paralyzed from the waist down.
As a result of his injuries, Moonsammy is now in a wheelchair and requires constant medical care and assistance with daily activities.
"This accident has shackled Mr. Moonsammy, making him a prisoner of his own body," said Joseph Donahue, lead trial attorney with Block O'Toole & Murphy.
"He has suffered devastating injuries, required never-ending medical care, has endured immeasurable physical and emotional suffering, and has had the joy of life taken from him."
On April 21, a Brooklyn jury determined that Mecca Contracting failed to provide the proper safety measures when the Aug. 8 incident occurred.
As a result, the jury awarded Moonsammy $53,500,000.
“Those in the position of power must be held accountable when they fail to provide the basic safety workers need to do their jobs,” said Block.
According to Block O'Toole & Murphy, construction-related deaths in New York City reached a 10-year high in 2022. For more information, click here.
